Change My Stripes
by Sephiroth's Stalker
Summary: It's hard enough being a senior in high school. It's even harder when your best friend is in love with you, and you're not attracted to other guys. But then, why can't you stop staring at your new English teacher? Riku.x.Sora & Squall.x.Sora
1. Study Hard

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and about $40 of spending cash. 

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Author's Note: This one probably won't have a happy ending. This is not a spoof, for once. _ I guess people think I can't write a serious story, but the truth is, I usually write better serious fiction than I do farce. This is an original fan fiction (oxymoron), inspired by quite a few things, including The Crush, Cruel Intentions and American Beauty. Hopefully it won't be _too_ cliché. It's a Riku + Sora, Squall + Sora love triangle type thing. _ Those have been done to death, but hopefully I can make it work. This story contains yaoi, although it won't just be randomly tossed around like confetti. Now, seeing as how Fan Fiction is a family website (*laughs uproariously*), the full & uncensored version will be posted elsewhere, while the sex-free R rated version will remain here. I'll let you know when I get to those parts.

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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Change My Stripes

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All Sora wanted to do was finish his homework before the weekend was completely over. Yet, life was not as simple as he would like it to be. Instead of being at home in his own room, doing his work, he was in his best friend's room, sharing the bed with him, while they both worked. Or rather, while Sora worked. Because Riku was doing it again. He was looking at him in _that_ way. Sora hated it when Riku looked at him like _that_. It made him feel anxious, terrified, and exhilarated all at once, tension curling up into a ball in his stomach, and making it harder for him to breathe. Sora pretended not to notice, like he usually did. Some days it worked, and some days it didn't. He never knew which kind of day it was going to be until he tried it. He went back to doing his homework with relish and hoped that Riku would take the hint and get back to doing his own.

"Sora, just when did you become so goddamn fuckable?" Riku asked, without batting an eye.

Sora cringed. Apparently it was going to be one of _those_ days. Fine. He was accustomed to them by now. He tried his best to defuse the situation with wit. "Well, I got the certificate for it last week, if that's what you mean." he replied, not looking up from his Physics book. 

Riku pushed his own book to the side and laid down, folding his arms beneath his chin, and watching Sora from under his silver eyelashes. "You're funny, Sora. But I'd rather put that smart mouth of yours to better use." 

Sora groaned in exasperation. He knew the routine by now. Riku simply wasn't going to let up until he was flat out rejected, and then he would just clam up and glare at Sora until he left for dinner. "Look Riku, we've already had this discussion. And I've told you a thousand times, I'm not attracted to you."

Riku snorted. "Bullshit, Sora. _Everyone_ is attracted to me." He sat up suddenly as he recalled something. "Oh yeah! Did I tell you that I fucked Jake?" 

Sora's eyes widened as he looked up from his book. Now Riku had his attention. "Jake the Jock? Football Captain Jake? Jake Addison? _That_ Jake?" 

Riku nodded, a smug grin turning up the corners of his delicate mouth. "Yep. That Jake. Yesterday afternoon. Mr. All American Football Hero was on his knees before me, oogling me with those big baby blue eyes as he sucked my.."

"Hey! Spare me the nasty little details, please!" complained Sora, frowning. "There is such a thing as too much information, you know."

Riku pouted. "Fine. I just thought you would like to know."

"Riku, when have I ever wanted to know about your many conquests?" reasoned Sora. "I would be just as content to never know what or who the great Riku is doing this weekend." 

Riku grinned, and laid back down, rolling onto his back. "The great Riku. I like the sound of that." 

"You're such a manwhore." teased Sora, resuming his homework. 

Riku appeared to think about this for a moment. "Well Sora, I don't mean to be, you know. It's just, I've got to get it out of my system somehow." 

"Do it by yourself." suggested Sora, not looking up. 

"Get real, Sora. Jerking off is so… adolescent." 

"Um, Riku, you are 17, you know." 

"I'll be 18 in five months." Riku replied. "Besides, I always was advanced for my age. So are you, or else you'd be a junior like everyone else your age, instead of a senior." Riku snickered to himself. "Who ever heard of a 16 year old senior?" 

Sora bristled. "Yeah, well you're going to be a 20 year old senior if you don't learn when to shut up and do your homework. Then I'll be the one cracking age jokes at your expense." 

Riku was stunned into silence. Wild mild irritation he opened his book back up and started doing his work again. He worked until he came to a problem that gave him some trouble. Try as he might, he just couldn't figure it out. He hated to admit it, but Sora was definitely the smart one when it came to school. He'd just have to swallow his pride and ask for help. "Hey, Sora?" he began, looking up, and then the words died in his throat. 

Sora was intently reading his textbook, absently sucking on the eraser of his pencil as his sapphire eyes wandered over the contents of the pages. As Riku watched, Sora casually brushed away a lock of mahogany hair from his eyes with the back of one smooth, tan-skinned hand. Riku's breath caught in his throat and he stared helplessly at his friend. _Sora, you have no idea what you do to me. _

Sora snapped out of his daze and glanced at Riku who was staring back at him almost desperately. "Riku? What is it?" 

Riku swallowed in an effort to clear his throat. "Um, I need some help with this problem right here."

Sora smirked. "The great Riku needs help? There is justice in the world, after all."

"Heh." replied Riku distractedly, his eyes following Sora's every move. 

"Well, which problem is it, you poor dummy?"

"This one." answered Riku, pointing to the word problem. 

Sora leaned over, and turned the book to himself. "Hmm… Oh come on! This is simple. Don't you have your equations sheet?" 

"What equations sheet?" asked Riku, not at all interested in the problem anymore. 

"Oh yeah, that's right. We got that sheet the day you bagged Selphie Tilwitt in the girls locker room."

"Fuck those cheerleaders. Raw, raw, raw!" quipped Riku, snickering despite his interest in Sora's teeth on that eraser. 

"Not funny." replied Sora, digging out his own equations sheet. "You're terrible. Now listen up, you dope. This equation here is what you use when the problem calls for gravity. You understand?" 

"Not in the least." answered Riku, truthfully. He eyed Sora, fascinated by the eraser. "Sora, are you trying to give me a heart attack or what?" he breathed.

Sora blinked and looked at him. "What are you talking about? Riku?!" Riku had somehow managed to inch closer to him in a matter of seconds, and his face was for some odd reason, very close to Sora's crotch. "What's your problem, man?!"

Riku looked up at Sora, the desperation in his aquamarine eyes even more apparent. "Sora, just let me do it. Just this once. Please?"

Sora stared at his best friend, fearing that he had finally gone mad. "Do what?!" 

"Get you off." replied Riku calmly as if he were simply telling Sora to pass the remote. "You'll like it, I'll like it, and everyone will go home a winner." He stroked his hand over the curve of Sora's groin and reached for the zipper.

"Oh come on, Riku!" shrieked Sora, slapping his hand away and jumping off the bed. "I thought we'd settled this!" 

Riku sat up, angry. "No, we haven't. You keep dodging the issue, Sora."

"This isn't an issue." insisted Sora, shaking his head. 

"Yes, it is!" snapped Riku. "When are you going to accept the way I feel about you?!"

Ah, so it was coming to this again. Sora sighed, and ran his hand through his spiky brown hair. Riku had been coming on to him ever since they reached puberty, and he still wouldn't let it go. "How many times do I have to tell you Riku, I'm not attracted to you!"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Honestly Sora, do you expect me to believe that?" He brushed back his own silver hair and glared. "I'm the best-looking guy in the entire school. We both know this."

"And you're so modest, too." replied Sora sarcastically. "So what if you're perfect looking Riku, you're still a _guy_." Sora sighed again, trying to get his friend to finally understand. "I know how you feel about me, Riku. I'm flattered, and you're truly my best friend. But that's all. I just don't swing that way." he said softly. 

Riku growled and threw his textbook across the room, knocking over a stack of CDs. "Fine. Whatever. Fuck you, Sora." He stood up and turning his back to the stunned Sora, stormed over to the window. Glaring out into the sun-filled day, he clenched his hands on the ledge, in an effort to keep from throwing anything else. He really wanted to bounce something off of Sora's thick skull right about now. "Get out of my house, before I lose control of my temper." he threatened.

Sora threw up his hands in exasperation. "Okay, whatever you say, Riku." He was getting sick of this. It only grew worse as their friendship went on. Riku was spoiled to the extreme, and his temper was legend. Sora would rather not be around when all Hell broke loose. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he offered, gathering his belongings.

"Yeah right, whatever. Get the fuck out, Sora!" shouted Riku, turning back around to glare at him.

Sora quickly fled the room, pulling the door closed behind him. 

Riku turned back to the window, closing his eyes, and leaning his face against the cool glass. He flinched when he heard the hurried footsteps followed by the slamming of his front door. He curled his hands into fists, and rested his head on one lightly muscled forearm, staring out the window. He didn't even realize he was crying until he saw Sora walking down the street, and noticed the image was wavy. He didn't look back. Riku turned away from the window, all of the anger drained out of him. He looked around his trendy room in disgust. His posters seemed to be laughing at him. Even the clock on his DVD player seemed amused. Riku threw himself down on his bed and sighed deeply. The comforter still smelled like Sora, and Riku nuzzled his face into it before he caught himself. "How childish." he muttered, wiping away his tears. "Damn you, Sora."

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Notes: Okay, if you've made it this far, then you have apparently survived Chapter 1. Congratulations! *throws confetti* So, do me a favor, and please review. Reviewing helps me to improve the quality of my writing, and it also motivates me to get off my lazy ass, put down the PS2 controller, and update. Besides… if you don't review, I'll cry. 

Riku: Nobody gives a damn.

Okay… if you don't review… I'll cut his throat! *grabs Riku and pulls out a switchblade*

Riku: Eek! _ Oh for the love of God, please review! So, this psycho doesn't kill me!

Damn right. ^_^


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and about $40 of spending cash. 

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Author's Note: This chapter is sort of short, but that's okay. I can only stand so much Kairi, myself.

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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Sora didn't bother looking back as he walked down the street. He knew that Riku would be at the window, glaring at him with a face that could make an onion cry. He'd foolishly looked back after being kicked out once, and was rewarded with an expression so terrible that it haunted his dreams for weeks. Sora wasn't about to fall for that one again. As it was, he'd already have trouble sleeping. The feeling of Riku's hand brushing over his most intimate part was not one he'd soon forget. That was probably the boldest thing Riku had done so far. Sora sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It was a beautiful autumn day, there wouldn't be too many more of these as October gave way to November. Better to enjoy it while it lasted, instead of racking his brain over Riku's latest fit of passion. Sora looked up at the clear blue sky, smiling as a cardinal flew by. Those were his favorite birds. He loved the color red. Whereas Riku loved the color blue… Ack, there go his thoughts again, drifting towards his best friend. 

__

"**Everyone** is attracted to me." 

Sora rolled his eyes, and kicked at a stone in his path, recalling Riku's words. How vain. Yet, Sora had to admit, Riku was rather attractive. But still, he wasn't gay or even bisexual like Riku. He was quite sure he liked girls. He just hadn't met one that interested him. 

"How depressing." Sora muttered to himself.

Riku never had a problem meeting girls or guys that interested him. There was something about Riku that drew other people like a moth to a flame. He was both beautiful and handsome all at once. He was taller than Sora by a few inches, and slimmer, though more muscular. He carried himself with authority blended with raw sensuality. His silver hair was naturally streaked with lavender and sky blue, making him stand out in every crowd. His aquamarine eyes went right through you like a white hot needle when he was angry, but any other time, they were cool and inviting like a swimming pool on a hot summer day. You could almost dive right in, and many people did. Then Riku would run back to Sora, excitedly telling him of his new conquest, his new victim, his new poor bastard. It had been like this ever since Riku turned 15. Sora was sickened by it all, and to learn that Riku had slept with Jake, it just turned his stomach. Sora could only imagine how much emotional turmoil Jake must be in, realizing that he'd done something that the captain of the football team was simply not supposed to do, namely giving head to another guy. Jake wasn't the first to get caught in Riku's web, and he certainly wouldn't be the last. When it came to Riku, the other students just had a hard time saying no. 

"I wonder why I don't have that problem." he mused. _It probably has something to do with my knowing him ever since I was five and he was six. _He'd known Riku ever since he was skipped into his first grade class, and they had instantly bonded. Years of sleeping over each other's houses in the summer, trick-or-treating in the fall, bombing cars from their snow forts in the winter, and chasing girls with caterpillars in the spring had probably made Sora immune to whatever pheromones Riku was exuding. _Now if only Riku could do the same. _Sora looked up, startled that he was at his home already. He fished his key out of his pocket, and unlocked the door, heading into the foyer. "Mom, I'm home." he called out, closing the door behind himself. 

"Sora honey, come here for a minute, would you? We have a guest." his mother, Sonja, called back from the living room.

Surprised, Sora set his backpack down on the floor, and walked into the living room. 

Sonja looked up. "Oh, good. Come on in here now, girl. Don't be shy. He's still your cousin after all." 

Sora blinked. _Who was she talking to? What cousin? _

Just then, a chestnut-haired girl who appeared to be his own age emerged cautiously from the kitchen. Her large violet eyes looked him over shyly. "Hi." she said softly. 

Sora stared. "Um, Hi." he stammered out finally. 

Sonja looked back and forth between them. "Sheesh, you two are acting like a couple of bashful, blushing brides. Sora, this is your cousin Kairi. Don't you remember her?"

Sora's jaw dropped. _What?! **This** was Red-Haired She-Devil?! _The Kairi he remembered was some snot-nosed punk whose hair he used to pull when he visited his grandmother's house in the summers before she'd passed away. He'd never known what had ever become of his bratty cousin, and he'd never really cared. Now he felt a pang of guilt as he regarded this doe-eyed girl standing half in and half out of his kitchen. "Wow, you grew up." he said lamely.

"So did you." she replied, in that same soft voice.

Sonja gave up on getting any more conversation out of the two of them, so she'd finally just tell Sora why Kairi was here. "Sora, Kairi is going to be staying with us for a little while. I guess you didn't know, but Kairi has been staying with your uncle Raymond, but… he got into a little trouble with the law. I won't allow my niece to be put into a foster home. So, she's going to be staying with us until it all gets straightened out, or until your aunt Patricia returns from Ireland." 

Sora sat down on the couch next to his mother, taking it all in. Okay, so not only had his best friend grabbed his privates and kicked him out, his cousin that he hardly recognized was going to be living in his house for an indefinite amount of time. "Great." replied Sora simply. _What a day._

Sonja leaned over and clasped his hands in hers. "I knew you would understand." She planted a warm kiss on his forehead, and then turned back to Kairi. "Come on over, and have a seat." 

Obediently, Kairi walked over and sat down next to Sora. 

Sora looked at her warily. 

Sonja sighed. "I'm going to go fix dinner. You two can catch up on life for a bit." She pushed herself up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. 

When the sounds of pots and pans being moved around floated back to them through the doorway, Kairi turned to Sora. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Because… the last time I saw you, you were some snot-nosed, pig-tailed little punk that used to stomp on my sand castles and try to make me play with Barbies." Sora replied.

Kairi blushed. "Geez, I've grown up, you know. I'm 16 now." 

"So am I." said Sora.

"Really? So, you're a junior too, right?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm a senior. I got skipped a grade." he answered, failing miserably at keeping the smugness out of his voice. 

"I'll bet you're proud." remarked Kairi dryly. 

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What? Was that a tinge of attitude from the old Red-Haired She-Devil?"

"Don't call me that!" cried Kairi, punching him playfully on the shoulder. 

Sora grinned. "You still hit like a girl!" 

"I am a girl." she responded airily, sticking out her tongue. 

"I doubt it." teased Sora, laughing. 

"Oh, poo on you!" she teased back, laughing as well. The awkwardness between them erased, she leaned over and raked her hand through Sora's hair, messing it up. 

"Cut it out!" Sora mock-shrieked, ruffling her hair as well. 

Inside the kitchen, Sonja smiled.

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Notes: I choose the name Sonja for Sora's mother, just because I've always liked that name. That's all. You know the drill. Please review, or the blonde gets it!

Riku: What are you, colorblind?! I'm not blonde!

Shut up, bitch! *brandishes switchblade*

Riku: Help! _ *squeals like a 3rd grade girl*


	3. Back to School

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and about $20 of spending cash. Damn you, E-bay auctions… Draining my pockets. _

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Author's Note: This was originally two separate chapters, but they seemed odd that way, so I went ahead and put them together. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it. I'll attempt to answer some of the questions at the end of the chapter.

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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"Sora!" called his mother. "Riku's here!"

Sora groaned and pulled his pillow down over his face. He couldn't believe it was morning already. Better still, he couldn't believe that it was already time for Riku to come over so they could walk to school together. He'd stayed up almost all night talking with Kairi, and he was exhausted. "Give me a break!" he muttered. Lord, he needed some more sleep right now.

"Do you want me to send him up?" asked Sonja.

Sora immediately sat up. Riku seeing him in his boxers was one thing he did _not_ need right now. He might not ever make it to school. Not to mention he'd have to help Riku tuck his eyes back into their sockets. "No, mom! I'll be right down!" he yelled. 

"Okay!" she called back. 

Sora could almost sense Riku's displeasure at being made to wait in the living room like some kind of salesman. There was nothing to be done for it, though. Sora hadn't even brushed his teeth yet. "Way to get my day started off right." grumbled Sora, grabbing his towel and heading for the shower. 

When Sora finally made it downstairs fully dressed, Riku gave him the dirtiest look he'd seen in quite some time and motioned towards his watch. "Get the lead out, Sora. Maybe clapping erasers after school is your idea of fun, but I've got better things to do. Or people for that matter."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Just let me grab a bagel, and I'm ready."

Riku stood up and thrust a wrapped item into his hands. "I already made you one. Let's go." 

Sora blinked. Curious, he unwrapped the item, and found it was indeed a bagel. His favorite, in fact. Cinnamon raisin. "The hell? I thought you hated all bagels, Riku."

"I do." Riku mumbled, kicking at the carpet. "But you love the nasty little things, so whatever. Now let's go." 

Sora shrugged. If Riku was feeling generous, he wasn't going to complain. It was better than having textbooks thrown at him any day. 

As if reading his mind, Riku blushed and looked away. "I wanted to um, apologize for yesterday." 

Sora opened his mouth to respond but before he could, Riku's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he felt a light tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Kairi standing there, looking nervously at them. "Hey, Kairi. What's up?"

"Um, you mind if I walk with you, Sora?" she asked. "I don't know the way." she explained apologetically. 

Riku glared. "I mind." 

Kairi seemed taken aback. Glancing at Sora, she let go of his sleeve. "Oh. Well, in that case…"

"No, no. You can come with us." assured Sora, ignoring the glare Riku immediately turned in his direction. _You can't intimidate me into giving in, Riku. I'm immune to your bullshit. _

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked.

"Fuck off, girl." Riku gritted out just low enough for her to hear. 

Kairi backed down. "Um, never mind. I'll just get Sonja to drive me." 

"Great." agreed Riku. "Come on, Sora. 

Sora glared at Riku who simply looked amused, and then turned back to his cousin. "Okay. I'll see you later, Kairi. Good luck."

"Thanks, Sora!" she barely called out, before Riku yanked him out the door and slammed it. 

Outside on the porch, Sora snatched his arm away from Riku and shoved him. "What the hell was that?"

Riku pushed him back. "You tell me, lover boy. Who's that bitch?"

Sora bristled. "She is not a bitch. She's my cousin, Kairi. I can't believe you're acting so stupid!" He started off walking, not bothering to see if Riku was following.

Riku caught up with him easily and fell into step beside him, which annoyed Sora to no end. "Let me get this straight… _That_ was Red-Haired She-Devil? The mad sand castle stomper? Barbie's number one fan?" 

Sora smiled in spite of himself, amused that Riku still remembered the tales about his destructive little cousin. "Yeah, that was her. She's going to be staying with us for a while. She's supposed to enroll at school today. She's an 11th grader." He took a bite of his bagel, pleased that Riku had even bothered to include the cream cheese.

Riku waved a hand dismissively. "That's all I needed to know. Good thing she's just your cousin. I was getting pretty jealous for a moment."

Sora rolled his eyes. "You idiot, who else could she be? My mother would not allow strange girls to spend the night in our house."

"I always did think Sonja was a good parent." smirked Riku. 

"Yeah… if she was that good… she'd forbid me from hanging out with you… pervert." quipped Sora, between bites. 

"That really hurt, you know." replied Riku, placing his hand over his heart. "Besides, adults don't know how to act around me. They all want to fuck me, but I'm underage, so they feel guilty."

"Oh come on! My mom does not want to sleep with you, Riku!" Sora groaned, picking up his pace. 

"How do you know?" asked Riku innocently. "You left me alone with her for almost a half hour today. I swear she grabbed my ass five times and cupped my nuts at least once."

"Oh my God, Riku! Get a life!" Sora yelled, finishing his bagel. 

"I'm serious, Sora." Riku claimed. "She was all like, 'Give it to me Riku!' And I was like, 'Miss Sonja, don't you know that 15 will get you 20?' Then she was all like, 'Jail would be worth it just to get some of your tender loving, Great Riku.'"

"I am so not hearing this!" Sora clapped his hands over his ears and ran towards the school building just a block away. 

Riku grinned and watched the love of his life run toward the brown brick building. Man, he loved the way Sora's ass looked in those jeans as he ran. _This is going to be a good day. _The school bell rang, startling him from his thoughts.

"Shit!!!" cried Sora, in despair. He slumped against the red double doors, knowing what the bell meant. 

Laughing, Riku walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Oh well. I told you not to drag ass back at the house. We would've made it if you hadn't insisted on playing Simon Says with your bug-eyed cousin. Looks like it's eraser clapping time for us." He pulled open the door. "Come on, suck it up, kid."

"It's not fair…" moaned Sora, trudging into the school. He dragged his feet all the way to his locker, and leaned up against it, prolonging the inevitable. "I _hate_ late detention. Miss Hall is such a shrew."

"I know, I know. She has gotten downright evil since that boyfriend of hers knocked her up." soothed Riku. "I'm not looking forward to it either, but as long as you're suffering with me, I can still get my kicks." 

"What a great friend you are." Sora snapped sarcastically, opening his locker and putting his backpack away.

"Well, I do try." simpered Riku, opening his own locker. "But come on, quit dragging ass, already. How much damn detention are you trying to get?" 

Sora gathered his books and sighed, resigned to his cruel fate. "Damn. Okay, let's get this over with. I am seriously dreading seeing the look on her face when we walk in." He walked slowly through the empty hallways, cringing when he heard the music that signaled the end of the morning announcements. "Aww man, we really _are_ late." He groaned, seeing his classroom just a few footsteps away.

"Thanks for that late breaking news flash, Sora." answered Riku. "I mean, I couldn't tell, what with the hallways being empty, and all the classroom doors being closed." He gave Sora a funny look. "Well, are you going to open the door, or what?" 

Sora froze up with his hand on the knob. " I can't… I hate the way she looks at you when you disrupt the class." 

Riku rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever. Move, and I'll do it." Sora obediently stepped to the side, and Riku twisted the knob and opened the door. The noise inside the classroom immediately ceased and Riku peeked in, expecting to see Miss Hall's angry brown eyes glaring back at him. Instead, the eyes glaring back at him were a rich shade of gunmetal gray, and the eyes did not glare at him, so much as they seemed to pass over him nonchalantly. _That's not Miss Hall, _Riku realized. _Hell, that's not even a woman. _

Indeed the striking gray eyes belonged to a tall young man who couldn't have been out of his twenties. His slim build was accentuated with just enough musculature to make it obvious that he worked out. His dark brown hair fell to just around his shoulders, framing his face perfectly. The only mar to his otherwise flawless appearance was a faded scar passing diagonally across his face. Yet, while such a scar would've spelled disfigurement for anyone else, it only added to this man's attractiveness, making him appear sage and rugged, even for all his youth. 

Before he could stop himself, Riku let out a low appreciative whistle. 

Behind him, Sora elbowed him in his ribs. "What is it?" he hissed.

"This man is a fox." Riku whispered back.

"Man? What man?" asked Sora.

Gray eyes widened momentarily in disbelief and then narrowed again. _Was that kid just checking me out? And who is out in the hall with him?_ He cleared his throat. "Well, are you going to pull up a desk and take your lessons in the doorway, or would you prefer to come in and join the rest of us?" 

It took all of Riku's concentration to wipe the grin off his face as he decided _not_ to tell this gorgeous man what he'd prefer. He grabbed Sora's hand and yanked him with him as he entered the classroom. "My friend and I had a little trouble getting ready this morning." 

Sora pulled the door softly closed and turned to look at this strange man standing in front of the chalkboard. 

"I see. Can your friend speak on his own, or are you his interpreter?" asked the man, turning his unconcerned gaze upon Sora.

Sora flushed as those gray eyes locked with his own. He suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling of being atop a summit in a roller coaster car, waiting for that first drop. The drop never came. The tension kept mounting, curling into a searing knot in the pit of his stomach and sending pervasive tingles of heat throughout his body. It was like the feeling he got when he caught Riku looking at him _that_ way, but a million times worse. Sora forcefully broke eye contact. _I was staring at him!_ he thought in a panic, and pushed past Riku. He slumped down in his seat, a sigh of relief issuing from his lips when he felt safe once more. He did not look at the man again. 

Riku blinked and looked apologetically at the man. "Forgive him. He's very… shy. And he had a rough night." 

One of the students snickered, and Riku slapped him in the back of his head as he passed on the way to his seat. "Stuff it, Tidus." _Damn, bad choice of words._

Tidus collapsed onto his desk in a heap of giggles, his laughter muffled by his arms. 

Riku rolled his eyes and sat down in his own seat, irritated with the blonde's antics. 

The man sighed, mildly annoyed at the spectacle that was unfolding upon the arrival of the latecomers. "Now that the comic relief has been taken care of, we can get down to serious matters." He turned his back on the class and proceeded to write on the board in an elegant sloping script. "My name is Squall Leonhart. You students will address me respectfully as Mr. Leonhart, of course."

__

Of course, thought Riku. The man had a splendid ass that practically commanded respect, if not outright worship. 

Squall turned back to the class and looked them over. "I suppose you may be wondering why I'm here?" 

Riku smirked. _The thought did cross my mind. _He shot a glance at Sora, wondering what he was thinking. Sora was determinedly staring down into his lap with an unreadable expression. _I'll have to talk to him later, _Riku decided. He looked back at Squall to see that the man was leaning against the edge of the desk, his long legs crossed at the ankles. 

"As all of you are aware," began Squall. "Your teacher, Miss Hall is due to give birth in the spring. She has decided to go on an early maternity leave, and may not return for the rest of the academic year." 

"Yeah!" cried Tidus, pumping his fist in the air. The rest of the class snickered.

"I wouldn't start the festivities so soon, young man." Squall replied. "After all, until she returns, you will be stuck with me. You may come to find yourselves wishing for her expedient recovery." 

The class grew quiet at these words. Even Tidus settled down to ponder what this could mean. _So this guy was their new English teacher? _

Squall continued. "I'm afraid I'm not the easiest man to get along with. In fact, I've spoken more in these past ten minutes than I normally do in a week. But, as long as you do your work and don't give me any problems, I won't give you any problems. I'm a reasonably fair man." Here he turned his gaze to Riku. "Speaking of fair, I do believe there is a set precedent for dealing with tardy students?"

Riku casually leaned back in his chair. The prospect of detention didn't hold much fascination for him, but then he wasn't disturbed by it either. "Well yeah, if you want to be anal about it. When you're late, you get detention." 

Sora looked up, and stared at Riku in surprise. It generally wasn't good to use the word anal for any reason when talking to a teacher. _Riku, what are you trying to pull?_

Squall didn't miss a beat. "Well then, I wouldn't want to start off breaking the rules." He leveled his gaze at Sora. "And what do you think? Are you capable of speaking now, or are you still too shy?"

Sora felt his cheeks flame under the scrutiny of those calm gray eyes. He opened his mouth and was relieved to find that he could in fact, speak. "It's only fair." He looked at Riku, who shrugged, and then continued. "I mean, we _were_ late. We deserve the punishment. I understand." he answered truthfully. 

Riku snickered, causing Sora to glance at him questioningly. He just shook his head. _What are you Sora, the patron saint of detention? Quit trying to rationalize it, and just take it, already. _

Sora turned back to his teacher and was surprised to see that his gaze had softened somewhat. Before Sora could be sure though, the expression was gone as quickly as though it had never been. 

"Well then, see me after class and we'll work out a schedule." Squall decided finally. 

"Yes sir." replied Sora immediately. 

Riku made a non-committal noise and looked out the window. 

Squall turned back to the desk and lifted a spiral notebook. "Well, we've wasted enough time. I'm going to call the roll, so we can get started on the assignment. Answer 'Here' or 'Present when you hear your name called." 

Riku absently watched as the few early morning school-skippers walked around outside. Sora was probably somewhat miffed with him, but that was fine. Riku rather looked forward to spending time around both Sora and this new handsome teacher. _I'll probably get whiplash from trying to decide which one to look at the entire time._

"Riku?"

"Here." Riku answered without turning from the window.

Sora sighed and waited for his own name to be called. _I'll have to remember to thank Riku for this. Maybe, a nice good poke in the eye with a sharp stick would do. _

"Sora?"

"Present." Sora responded automatically. He knew that somewhere, Miss Hall was laughing at him. 

"Tidus?"

"In the hizzouse!"

Squall put his hand to his forehead in irritation. It was too early for this. He fired off the last few names in rapid succession, eager to assign some nice, quiet busywork. "Now that we're finished with that, I'd like you all to turn to page 223 of your textbook, and read The Pearl."

The class issued a collective groan.

Squall put up his hand for silence. "That's not all. When you're done, complete the questions at the end of the story."

"But we don't have enough time left..." moaned Tidus. 

Riku rolled his eyes. Tidus was such a drama queen. 

Sora scoffed to himself. The Pearl was middle-school stuff. It required twenty minutes, at most. 

Squall apparently agreed. "Don't be lazy. We have over a half hour left. Surely you can read the story, at least. The questions are for homework." 

Amidst grumbling and turning of pages, the class settled down to work. 

Thirty minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period classes. Squall glanced at the clock and sighed in disbelief. _It's only been an hour. _At this rate, he'd be looking for a new job next Monday. He never did like kids much, and teenagers seemed to be the worst of the bunch, next to toddlers. Neither group had much respect for authority, the former because they considered themselves too mature to care, and the latter because they were too impulsive to know any better. 

Either way, they offended Squall's stoic, self-controlled nature to no end. He would take his planning period and then teach for three more classes before he would be done for the day. But first… 

"Free at last!" cheered Tidus, pushing back his chair. 

Squall fought the urge to roll his eyes. _Lord, that Tidus is annoying. _He could tell that first period would not be his favorite part of the day_. _If it wasn't that blonde snickering to himself for no reason, it was that Riku kid giving Squall looks that made him feel almost violated. _What is with him? _he wondered. Riku had seemed content to divide his time between looking at Squall and watching his friend Sora, neglecting to crack open his textbook even once. That was fine by him. He had been thinking all period about how to handle the detention issue, and he had come up with a plan that made him proud of his own cleverness. 

Sora looked around and noticed that he and Riku were now the only students left in the classroom. He looked expectantly toward his teacher, wanting to get this over with so that he wouldn't be late to his next class. _The last thing I need, is to get in more trouble._ He shot a dirty look at Riku, only to see that for once Riku wasn't looking at him. 

"So," Riku began, leaning forward on his elbows and staring dead at Squall. "What type of schedule are we looking at here?"

__

This kid is unbelievable, Squall thought. He deliberately ignored him, and looked at his friend instead. "Sora, you will spend one hour after school each day serving detention with me, for the rest of this week." 

"What about me?" asked Riku. "I get detention too, right?"

Squall just barely kept the smirk off his face. _Perfect, the kid is practically begging for detention_. "I'm afraid not. Only Sora gets detention."

Sora put his head down on his desk and groaned. _Oh, this is just great. _First day with a new teacher and he already had a week's worth of detention. What's worse, Riku seemed to have somehow weaseled his way out of it without even trying. He was going to be stuck by himself. "How boring." he mumbled.

"That's not fair!" exclaimed Riku, standing up. "I was late, too! If you're going to give Sora detention, you have to give it to me, as well!"

Squall raised an eyebrow. _Can you get a load of the nerve of this kid? _"I only have three things to say to you, Riku. One, life is not fair. Two, I don't _have_ to do anything but pay taxes and die. Three, I refuse to give you detention on the grounds that you would probably enjoy it as long as you were in Sora's company. Hence, it is far better punishment for you, if you were separated from him for a few hours a week."

Riku bristled and glared, knowing he'd been bested. "Fine. Whatever you say, _Mr. Leonhart_." He gathered his books impatiently, not wanting to let the prick know just how much he had pissed him off with that sneaky trick of his. 

Squall almost bristled before he caught himself. He was too old for this shit. He was not about to let some egotistical, spoiled brat get under his skin. "See you tomorrow, _Riku_. I trust you'll be on time?" 

Riku growled quietly to himself as he walked out of the classroom. He wasn't even going to dignify that with a response. 

Sora stood and silently gathered his things, somehow not surprised at the turn of events. While Miss Hall had been careless enough to assign them to joint detention, he should've figured this new teacher would be perceptive enough not to make the same mistake. _Oh well, no more eraser fights, _he thought glumly, as he headed out the door. 

Squall watched him go. _Those two must be really close for Riku to act up like that. Some time apart might actually be good for them. _Shaking his head, he settled down to enjoy the brief respite before his next class. 

Out in the hall, Sora turned the corner just in time to see Riku savagely punch his locker. The sound reverberated down the corridor, and several students hurriedly finished with their own lockers and went on their ways. No one wanted to inadvertently become an outlet for Riku's obvious rage. Even Sora hesitated a moment before walking over. 

Apparently Riku's knuckles had thought better of committing further violence against unyielding metal, and now Riku was leaning up against his ill-treated locker, muttering expletives under his breath. 

"Geez, you're really ticked about this, huh?" asked Sora, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Riku seemed to relax at his touch, but his voice was still thick with anger when he responded. "Who the fuck does he think he is, pulling that shit? I can't fucking believe this."

Sora tried a grin. "Oh, suck it up. An extra hour at school a day won't make any difference. I just hope I don't have to scrape gum from under desks again." he said, grimacing. "That was too gross for words."

"That was pretty nasty." agreed Riku. He felt himself growing calm in Sora's presence. Sora was the only one who had that effect on him. Even his own mother couldn't soothe his feelings like that. Riku sighed and reached over his shoulder to clasp Sora's hand. "It still sucks, though." 

"It's just for a week." Sora defended, with a shrug. "No big deal."

Riku closed his eyes and lifted Sora's hand to his face, rubbing his cheek against it. "Maybe not to you…" 

Sora froze. Riku's skin actually felt rather nice. His cheek was warm and smooth to the touch, and Sora began to think that he might not mind it, except that Riku was acting downright _weird_ again. "Um, Riku?" 

"I hate being separated from you, Sora. It's almost painful." Riku muttered. He reluctantly released Sora's hand and sighed, turning around. "You'll never understand, I guess." 

Sora's face flushed. _I have no idea how to respond to this! _He avoided Riku's eyes as he took note of the time. "Look, I've got to run. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" 

Riku stared at him for a moment. "Okay." he said finally, as though coming to a decision. 

Sora didn't like his tone, but he didn't have time to press the issue. Turning, he walked off to his next class. 

Riku watched his departure. _I won't continue to be denied like this, Sora. _Irritated with his bad luck, he headed off to his own class, counting the minutes until lunch.

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****

Notes: We made it through another chapter. Phew. 

Riku: Thank goodness!

-You're not out of the woods yet, punk! *waves switchblade*

Riku: *cries*

-Please review. I don't know how much longer I can keep scaring this kid with a prop knife.

Riku: Prop?! Why you!!!

-Oops. _ Heh-heh, let's answer a few questions!

__

1. Is this gonna be a Sora X Kairi as well? 

Riku: Hell no! I wish that bitch would lay her hands on my man!

-What he means is, nah. I never did see much chemistry between Sora & Kairi, even in the game. They always seemed more like siblings.

2. By the way, what does the title of this fic 'Change My Stripes' mean?

-It's from a line that I may or may not decide to use later in the story. If it doesn't seem too cheesy once I write it in, anyway. I don't want to write a Harlequin romance novel, here.

__

3. NO SELPHIE! Why, WHY??!! me like selphie  


Riku: I like Selphie too. *wink, wink, nudge*

-Jerk! *slap* Selphie was, unfortunately for her, the only other female resident of Destiny Islands from the game, besides Kairi. So she had to get played. 

Riku: Like a chump, hey! Like a chump!

-Also, in regards to Riku being OOC, I did want Riku to be somewhat out of character because if I wanted to see Riku doing 100% Riku things, I would just play the game again. Although, I don't think he really is all that out of character. See, Riku reminds me of that Hot Topic shirt that says "Live Fast, Die Pretty."

Riku: You shop at Hot Topic? What a loser!

-_ Anyway, what I mean is, he has one of those all or nothing personalities. He doesn't do anything half-assed. Anything. He's intense with everything he does, and tends to live in excess. I figure he'd have to be that way, because only someone with that type of personality would talk shit to a shadowy figure in a cave. I know, I would've hauled ass. 

Riku: Well, I'm not a coward like you.

-_ But, it would take that kind of person to open the door to the darkness, simply because they were so concerned with getting what they wanted, that they didn't bother to consider the consequences. 

-Well, that'll be enough of my rambling. Again, I would like to thank everyone that reviewed!


	4. Lunch Break

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and… that's about it. _ _Goddamn_ you, Ebay.

****

Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed! I also answer a few more questions at the end. This chapter is shorter than I would've liked, but I make up for it with the next two chapters, which I should be uploading a bit quicker next time. Enjoy. ^_^ 

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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Sora was already well into his tuna salad sandwich when Riku walked into the cafeteria. As usual, several pairs of eyes followed his progress from the door to the lunch line. Riku never had to wait long, someone always let him cut, and he was usually in and out of line before most people had even decided what they wanted to eat. Today was no exception. One moment Riku was in line, the next he was heading over to where Sora was seated next to Tidus and Wakka. 

Sora had met them in junior high school, and they were the only other students he really considered his friends, besides Riku. Tidus was playful to the extreme, never letting a little thing like good taste prevent him from saying what was on his mind, and laughing at whatever amused him, which was namely, everything. Wakka, on the other hand, was surprisingly laid-back despite his colorful appearance, and had an annoying habit of knowing other people's true motivations before they had even realized it themselves. 

Sure enough, it was Wakka who first picked up on Riku's foul mood. "Hey Riku, man. Something the matter, ya?" 

Never one to let an opportunity go to waste, Tidus also expressed his concern with Riku's sour disposition. "Yeah, what's with that face? You look like somebody just took your ass without giving you a reach-around." he chirped.

Riku gave the blonde a dirty look, and slid into his seat. "I don't want to talk about it." he said simply, starting on his chicken pot pie.

"Hey," said Wakka, changing the subject. "You guys had Miss Hall for first period, right? What do you think of her replacement? I had him for third period, and he barely said ten words. Kinda rude, ya?"

Sora considered for a moment before answering. "Well… I can't tell just yet. He doesn't seem mean at all. He just seems reserved." _Maybe after this week, I'll change my mind._

Tidus nodded enthusiastically. "Anyone who hasn't sent me to the principal's office yet, is A-okay in my book."

"We all know it's just a matter of time before that happens." replied Wakka. "You practically go to that office like it's one of your classes. I swear you're getting a grade for it, ya."

Tidus sniffed. "I can't help it if not everyone appreciates my unique sense of humor." He turned to Riku, who was ruthlessly digging at his food as though it had offended him in some way. "And what do _you _think of Leonhart?"

"I hate him already." announced Riku, between bites. "But I'd still fuck him."

Tidus snorted. "Like that's news. Tell me when you find someone that you _wouldn't_ molest." 

"Well, I wouldn't touch _you_, not even with someone else's hands, Goldilocks." Riku retorted. "Especially not since you've started getting fat in the face. Pretty soon you're going to be looking like the Kool-Aid man."

"Oh yeah!" cried Tidus, in perfect imitation of the fictional character. 

Sora burst into laughter, nearly choking on his food. 

Riku immediately looked up in alarm, and Sora lifted a hand to signify that he was okay. Only when he resumed eating did Riku visibly relax. "Good God Sora, don't scare me like that." 

"Oh _please_ Sora, don't scare any of us like that." mocked Tidus. "I know that I, for one, shit my pants, I was so afraid." 

Sora started giggling again, which caused Riku to glare at Tidus. "Watch it, Blondie. You're the reason he was choking in the first place."

"You started it!" accused Tidus. "Calling me the Kool-Aid man. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at that?"

"I didn't laugh." Wakka pointed out. 

"Quiet, you." replied Tidus.

Sora gave up and simply laid his head down on the table, laughing until his shoulders shook. 

"Hey Sora. What's so funny?" asked a female voice. 

Sora recognized the voice and lifted his head, struggling to keep the giggles under control. "Hey Kairi. Nothing really. You got registered okay?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, your mom helped me out." She looked over Sora's group uneasily. "So… I was just eating my lunch, when I spotted you, and thought I'd come over to say 'Hi.' I'm not intruding on anything, am I?" She scratched her arm, looking slightly uncomfortable. 

"Of course not." assured Sora, before Riku could protest to the contrary. "Let me introduce you to my friends. The big guy is Wakka. He's probably got the most sense out of all of us." 

"I certainly won't argue with that. Nice to meet you, Kairi." said Wakka, with a friendly grin. 

"The goofy-looking one is Tidus. Watch your back around him, he holds nothing sacred." warned Sora.

"Don't listen to him, Kairi. I'm a perfect angel." Tidus claimed, giving her a deep, soulful look. "In fact, just the other day, I saved a puppy from drowning and-" 

"Riiiiight." interrupted Sora. "And the one that you… met this morning, is Riku. He's my-"

"Soul mate." finished Riku, giving Kairi a look that clearly told her just how much he thought she mattered in the grand scheme of things.

"Best friend." corrected Sora gently. 

Kairi blinked, wondering at what Riku said, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea to question it right now.

Riku looked away, clearly dismissing her. 

She decided to take the hint. "Well Sora, I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Sure, Kairi." Sora responded. He watched her walk off, and then turned back to his friends. "That was my cousin, by the way."

"Ah. I figured it was something like that." said Wakka. He knew that Riku's reaction to her would've been much more hostile if she wasn't directly related to Sora by blood. 

A silence fell over the group as they finished their meals, mentally preparing for the last three classes of the day. 

"This pumpkin pie tastes like ass." Tidus announced, finally.

"You _would_ know what ass tastes like." quipped Riku.

"Oh no, I am but an amateur compared to you, Riku. Here, open up. I want a second opinion from a qualified assmuncher such as yourself." Tidus waved his forkful of pie in Riku's scowling face. "Here comes the airplane! Down the hatch."

"Cut it out, little boy." growled Riku.

"That's my cue to leave." stated Wakka, rising. "I'll see you simpletons around. Later, ya." 

"I'd better get going myself." said Sora apologetically. He stood up, trying to ignore the unhappy look Riku was giving him. 

"Hey," whined Tidus, feigned fear in his blue eyes. "Don't leave me alone with Riku. He might try to grope me or something!" 

Riku rolled his eyes. "You wish." 

Sora sighed. "I'm sure your virtue will be safe, Tidus." He paused and gave Riku a sympathetic look. "I'll call you as soon as I get home, okay?"

Riku frowned and looked at the clock, resigned. "Fine." 

Sora caught up with Wakka just as he exited the cafeteria. "Those two pick on each other so much, I swear they're crushing sometimes." he announced.

Wakka thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah. Tidus isn't Riku's type. Too childish. Not that Riku isn't immature, but he's not childish. There's a difference, ya."

Sora nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Why was Riku all sullen anyway?" asked Wakka.

"Oh, he's just mad because I got detention with Mr. Leonhart all this week, even though we were both late." explained Sora. "Riku just feels like he's been had, probably."

Wakka blinked. "That was pretty smart, ya." he said with admiration. "Riku is so in love with you, he can't even stand it. He's going to be looking pretty sad walking home by himself, ya." 

"Come on Wakka, don't be weird." protested Sora. "It isn't even like that."

Wakka stopped outside his class and looked at Sora for a moment. In that moment, Sora saw the intelligence in his hazel eyes just as clear as day. "Someday when I have the time, I'll explain it to you. Until then, be careful. You underestimate Riku a lot, ya." He turned and went into his class. 

As Sora continued on to his own class, he pondered on what his friend meant. There was definitely a lot more to Wakka than he ever let on. "But isn't that how it is with everybody…" Sora sighed, entering his classroom. 

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****

Notes: Doesn't Tidus remind you of your friend's annoying little brother? I think _everyone_ had a friend with an annoying little brother. If you didn't it's probably because you _are_ the friend with the annoying little brother. ^_~ 

Riku: Like you ever had any friends.

- _ I've had about enough of you, kid. Shut up and help me answer questions or I'll sell you on Ebay and get some of my money back.

Riku: *gulp* Okay, who had some questions?!

1. HEY HOW COME YOU TAKE TOO LONG UPDATING, PHOOL!

- Well, I have a job (that I hate), and I go to school. 

Riku: I think she's just lazy.

- Show me laziness! And the survey says? *Ding, ding* Correct. 90% of Americans say I'm lazy as hell.

2. Won't leon (squall...) go to jail for having a relationship with a student?!?!?

Riku: He'll be going to a place a lot worse than jail if I get my hands on him.

- I cannot say. ^_^ You're just going to have to read and see what happens.

3. Squall a teacher?

Riku: I know. I thought you had to be able to read and write in order to teach English.

Squall: *comes out of nowhere* You little brat! *brandishes gun blade*

Riku: *faints*

- Well shit. Now I have to answer questions alone. Thanks a lot, Squall. But, I think Squall could be quite capable of teaching. Gym, anyway.

4. I was wondering if this is centered around Riku X Sora, or Squall X Sora?

- It's a mixture of both. At times it'll lean one way, then it'll lean the other way. Poor Sora, he's just so confused.

5. are you going to add cloud, yuffie and the rest of the guys from the game? 

- Yes, I do have plans for the other characters. Hell, I might even add Ansem. Of course, it would have to be a role suited to his unique, commanding, and impressive character. Such as working at McDonalds. 

Ansem: *appears through a portal in the wall* Now, you wait just a goddamn minute!

- Eep! Don't forget to review! *runs off screaming* 

Ansem: Damn right. Give in to the darkness.


	5. After Class

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and… that's about it. _ _Goddamn_ you, Ebay.

****

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit longer than the last one. ^_~

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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Sora watched as the clock hands inched towards their goal. The last class of the day always dragged, but for once he didn't mind. In the background, his Physics teacher droned on, and Sora blocked him out as usual, absently copying the notes off the board. 

Beside him, Riku dozed peacefully on his own desk, his shining hair and long eyelashes making him look deceptively angelic. 

__

No wonder he doesn't learn anything in this class. Still, Sora was glad Riku's mood seemed to have improved somewhat during the day. Wakka's parting words at lunch were still fresh in his mind. Sora snuck a glance at his friend.

To his surprise, Riku had woken up and was watching him with an unreadable expression in his aquamarine eyes. 

Sora flushed and resumed looking at the board. 

Riku sighed and lifted his head, smoothing back his silver hair. He briefly glared at the teacher whose incessant rambling had made it difficult for him to sleep, before turning back to his friend. "It's almost time, Sora."

"Jeez, you make it sound like I'm going to the electric chair." Sora replied, writing.

Riku laid his head back down. "You might as well be." he mumbled into his arms. 

Sora shook his head as he finished copying the notes. "I thought you were over that."

Riku closed his eyes. "I am. That doesn't mean I like it. I almost want Miss Hall back. Almost." 

Sora snickered and closed his notebook. "You don't mean that."

As if on cue, the last bell of the day rang. The students sprung from their seats, eager to escape from the confines of the school building. 

Riku pushed back his chair and stood up. "Maybe, I do mean it." he murmured. "Miss Hall does have her virtues." A mischievous glint came into his eyes. "Although, Leonhart is far better to look at. Did you see the ass on that man?" He wolf-whistled to himself as he gathered his belongings.

"You're terrible." uttered Sora in exasperation, standing up. He slung his book bag up onto his shoulder and followed Riku out the door. 

"But still, you know you love me." Riku replied, once they reached their lockers. "As terrible as I am."

Sora opened his locker and scoffed. "Nah. Tolerate maybe, but love, never."

Riku shot him a glare. "Don't even joke like that."

Sora held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Okay, sorry." He turned back to his locker, putting away the books he wasn't taking home. "I admit Riku, you do tend to sort of grow on me, like a bad rash." 

"I'll take that as a compliment." Riku responded, closing his own locker. 

"Exactly as it was intended." Sora assured him. Turning back to his locker, he found that he only needed his science text and notebook. "Well damn, the only homework I have left is for Physics. That's lucky. At least I won't be up all night once I get home from detention."

"Oh yes, you will." protested Riku. He crossed his arms and looked at Sora sternly. "Because you have to call me, and tell me exactly what happens."

Sora rolled his eyes as he finally shut his locker. "That is going to be the most boring phone conversation in the history of the world."

"Just the same," insisted Riku. "You have to call me."

Sora bent down and zipped his book bag. "Fine. I'll call you and tell you exactly what happened." Standing up, he absently brushed away a lock of hair from his face, as he leveled his gaze on his friend. "I will solemnly bore you with sordid details of how I erased the board, cleaned the desks and wrote 'I will not be late' one hundred times. If it will make you feel better, Riku."

Riku smirked, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly. "Yes Sora, it would." He raised an eyebrow mischievously. "You know what else would make me feel better?" 

Sora felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he realized that Riku was looking at him in _that_ way. Anxiously, his eyes darted around, quickly assessing that there were still a few other students roaming the hallway. _Riku would never try anything funny with other people around. I think_. He gulped and looked at his friend fearfully. "What?"

Riku grinned.

In the amount of time it took him to blink, Sora found himself trapped. The cold, hard locker pressed firmly to his back was a startling contrast to the warm, plaint form of his friend that he found now flush up against him. One of Riku's hands was flat against the locker high up by his head. Sora however, was a bit more concerned about the other hand that was resting possessively on his hip. _Whoa. _"Um… Riku?" _So much for what I thought._

Sighing, Riku lowered his face to his friend's neck and breathed in deeply. Sora always smelled like honey and almonds. _Yes… _"This," he purred. "This makes me feel better, Sora." 

Sora tried his voice. "Wha, what?" _Okay, that didn't come out too well, and… oh sweet mother of God, what is he doing!? _The hand on his hip was lightly squeezing, sending cool tingles down his spine. _Must… stop… him… "_Ri, Riku?" _Dammit…_

Riku smiled to himself. _You're so cute when you're flustered, Sora. I know this is kind of bold, but I'm losing patience, here. _He brushed his lips across the side of Sora's neck, enjoying the tickling sensation from the tiny hairs that grew on his warm skin.

"Hey! You kids better stop!" ordered an authoritative-sounding voice.

Riku jumped back from Sora and spun around. His heart was thumping in his chest so loudly, he was sure everyone could hear it. "The fuck?" 

Sora slowly opened his eyes, not even aware of when he'd closed them. _Good Lord…_

"What do you kids think you're doing?" inquired Tidus in the same tone of voice. 

Riku clapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh my God…"

Sora couldn't help but smile. "I forgot you could do perfect impressions of Principal Hightower." _Thanks Tidus. You saved me from… I don't know what._

Tidus placed his hands on his hips and grinned proudly. "Just doing my part to keep perverts out of the hallways and such."

"Tidus, I am going to **_kill_** you." growled Riku, aquamarine eyes flashing.

Tidus pouted. "Aww, but you say that every day, Riku."

"But today, I mean it!" snarled Riku, lunging at Tidus.

Tidus yelped and dodged away. "Come on, man! It was just a joke!"

"I'm not laughing." answered Riku, reaching for him. 

"Well, I'm going to head to detention now." interrupted Sora. His fingers were unsteady as he grasped the straps of his book bag, and he mentally thanked Tidus again as he hoisted it onto his back. 

"Have fun!" chirped Tidus.

"Don't forget to call me." insisted Riku, seemingly distracted from his revenge for a moment. 

"Yes Sora, don't forget to call me too." teased Tidus, batting his eyelashes.

Sora waved and turned the corner. 

"Hey! Oww!"

"Gotcha, Blondie!"

"Let go, Riku! You're going to make me miss the bus!"

"Good!"

Sora shook his head as their voices faded out of range. His own footsteps sounded foreign to him as he strolled down the now empty halls. The main doors were propped open, and the sunlight and fall breeze filtering in made him wish that he didn't have to stay. _No use fighting it now, though. _Sora sighed as he found himself once again standing before the open door to his first period class. Hesitantly, he peeked in, and saw his teacher.

Squall Leonhart sat in an armchair beside the teacher's desk, turning through a textbook. Immediately he looked up and saw Sora. "You decided to come after all."

Sora fought and managed to keep from blushing. "Yeah." _Gah, why does he always make me feel so awkward?_

"Well, you can come in and have a seat. I don't bite." Squall assured him. 

Sora was conscious of those gray eyes on him as he made his way to his desk and sat down. Expectantly he waited for his teacher to speak. When no instructions were forthcoming, Sora cleared his throat. "So… what do you want me to do?"

"That's a good question. I've never given detention before." Squall crossed his long legs and looked at Sora thoughtfully. "What do you usually do at detention?"

"Well… Miss Hall used to make me clap erasers." Sora offered. 

Squall cast a glance at the eraser. It was practically untouched, considering the only thing he'd wrote on the board was his name, and he hadn't bothered to erase it between classes. "Hmm, maybe later on in the week. Anything else?"

"I guess I could always do my homework." Sora said, reluctantly. 

Squall nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let me know when you're finished."

Sora unzipped his book bag. Well, it could be worse. At least he wasn't scraping gum out from under the desks. He had no intention of letting Mr. Leonhart in on _that_ particular punishment. As he opened his Physics book, Sora couldn't help but think of Riku, and what Wakka had said. Maybe Riku really did love him and wasn't trying to make him into just another conquest. "Too weird." he murmured, shaking his head. 

Squall began working on his lesson plan for the next day. Miss Hall had left him plenty of notes on where she was leading the course, but Squall took it upon himself to change those plans. From what little he could tell, Miss Hall was a silly woman with a head full of feminine notions, and he had no intentions of teaching an English class that consisted primarily of romantic poetry and Shakespearean sonnets. "Romance is for women and teenagers." he muttered, thumbing through the teacher's text. 

Sora finished his last few problems and set the book down. The assignment was unbelievably easy, and he hadn't even needed his equations sheet. Riku would definitely tease him about being a nerd if he were here. _Riku… _Sora put his head down on his desk. _I wonder what he's doing right now? _He rolled his eyes. _Probably scouting out new victims. If Riku wasn't so damn promiscuous, I might take his little declarations of love more seriously. _Sora sighed and laid his head down on the desk. _Please… Riku hits on everything. He was even checking out Mr. Leonhart, for crying out loud. _Sora raised his eyes and looked at his teacher. _But then, I suppose I can hardly blame him…_

Oblivious to his pupil's dilemma, Squall was deeply engrossed in the text. _There are some decent stories in here… and Poe, hmm… Maybe I'll have the class cover this unit next. _

Sora merely watched him flip through the pages, his handsome brows furrowed in concentration. _Wait… Handsome? Where did that come from? _He shook his head. _I'm getting as bad as Riku,_ he thought, once again looking at Mr. Leonhart. 

Squall's gray eyes flashed as he read whatever was on those pages with great interest. A dark eyebrow would arch occasionally, making Sora wonder what he was reading. 

__

It can't be anything funny, Sora thought. His teacher never once smiled, but his perfectly-shaped mouth remained set in a firm line. _It's a shame, I'll bet he has a gorgeous smile... Ack!_ Sora's eyes widened in shock as he realized the true nature of his own thoughts. _Okay… I'm crushing on my new teacher… but, I'm not really attracted to guys, right? I mean, if I was, shouldn't I have given in to Riku by now?_

Squall got the feeling he was being watched and looked up from his book.

Gray eyes suddenly met with blue ones and both men felt the temperature of the room rise a few hundred degrees.

Sora was aware of the heat creeping up his neck and into his face as he realized he'd been caught. _Oh shit…_

Squall felt his skin prickle with warmth. That kid had been watching him from under his lashes with an intensity that he couldn't help but respond to. _Good God, I feel like a piece of meat. _He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. 

Sora averted his eyes to his own hands, which were clasped tightly together in his lap. _Well, that does it. He'll call me a pervert, and I'll never be able to look him in the eye again… not that I should. _He knew that he was shaking slightly with the effort it took for him to remain seated and not bolt from the room. _Imminent humiliation in 5... 4... 3... 2..._

Squall resisted the urge to ask questions that would only further embarrass them both, and tried to calmly evaluate the situation. _Okay, that kid was staring at me like he wanted to eat me. But I caught him, and now we're both a bit uncomfortable. _He felt the telltale heat of a blush on his cheeks. _Very. So the best thing to do… is avoid the issue. _He tried his voice. "Done, so soon?" It sounded fine to him.

Sora's head snapped up. 

__

Shit. "With your homework, I mean." Squall added quickly. 

Sora visibly relaxed. _This is awkward, but at least he didn't call me a pervert. Yet. _"Oh, yeah. It was just Physics."

"**_Just_** Physics? That's like saying it was **_just_** a drive-by shooting. Physics used to kick my ass back in high school." Squall replied, without thinking.

Sora blinked. "Um, okay…" _Teachers don't say ass, at least not in front of the students. _That was just as bad as Riku saying 'anal' earlier. _Riku… _Sora had no idea how Riku would react when he told him about this. He figured that Riku would probably be glad to hear that he wasn't completely straight, but Riku probably wouldn't be too happy when he learned how Sora had reached that conclusion.

Squall glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes left. "Well, is there anything else your teacher used to make you do for detention?" 

Sora sighed in resignation. Somehow, the worst seemed to have already happened. "She used to make me scrape the gum out of the desks." he answered finally. 

Squall wrinkled his nose. "That's disgusting."

"I know." responded Sora. _Still, I'd willingly do it right now, just to put an end to this awkwardness. _

"If I ever catch anyone putting gum in their desk, I'll make them scrape the gum out of all the other desks and chew it." Squall declared, with complete seriousness. 

The remark caught Sora completely off guard, and he laughed loudly. "Now, **_that's _**disgusting!"

Squall smiled without realizing it. "It'd be funny as Hell, you have to admit." he snickered.

Sora struggled to get his giggles under control. "Yeah, it definitely would be. Until you got fired, anyway." 

Squall smirked. "It'd be worth it, I think. Just to see the look on the kid's face." He crossed his arms. "Just between you and me, I'd make that Tidus kid do it for kicks." 

Sora's laughter erupted anew. Somehow he wasn't surprised. "Tidus didn't make a good impression on you, huh?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "Please. I wanted to forcefully introduce him to the brick wall outside." 

Sora grinned. "At last, the truth comes out. Tell me, Mr. Leonhart, was there anyone else that you wanted to smack into a wall?" 

Squall sighed. He had a feeling his confession would put an end to this rare playful mood he was sharing. "Honestly… your silver-haired friend didn't improve my opinion of teenagers much, either."

Sora blushed. He knew that much already, but it was still weird to hear it. "I sort of figured that. Riku is really… something. A lot of people have a hard time dealing with him." _That's partly because he's a serial seducer, but you don't need to know that. _

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, I know how to deal with him. He probably won't love me for it, but whatever. He can go tell it to a wall."

Sora knew Riku would be mad at him if he were there, but he couldn't resist. "Would that be before, or after you introduced him to it?"

Now it was Squall's turn to laugh uproariously. "Good one." he snickered. "We'd better quit all this laughing or people will think we're insane."

"It's probably too late for that." Sora joked, and then felt his heart lurch in his chest when he realized that his teacher was actually smiling. _Wow. It's even more impressive than I thought it would be_. Not wanting to let his thoughts be known, he reluctantly looked at the clock. "Time for me to go, right?" 

Squall let the last bit of his laughter die as he realized that it indeed was time. "Hmm, so it is." 

Sora picked up his books, absently thinking that at least he didn't have to take anything home. He could dump them off in his locker and quickly walk home before the ground opened up and swallowed him alive. 

Squall watched Sora gather his belongings with an unreadable expression. _I like this kid. He's pretty sharp. His choice in friends could use some work, though. Still… he made me laugh. I haven't truly laughed since…_

"So, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" called Sora from the door. 

Squall nodded. "Alright, but don't be late again. I'd have to double your detention. Your friend just might die." _What is he to you, really? _Squall wondered, absently. 

"Yeah, he just might." Sora answered truthfully. "See ya."

As the door closed behind him, Squall paused to reflect on that last thought of his. _Why should I care? It's not any of my business. Still… _He thought back to the way Sora had looked at him, and shuddered in spite of himself. Squall was no stranger to having people check him out, but he couldn't recall ever getting a stare quite as intense as that one. Even the leisurely look-over Riku had given him first thing in the morning couldn't compare. That look was just flirty, all-talk but no action. Sora's look, though, had been thrumming with… need. Squall wasn't sure if anyone had ever looked at him that way before. _It was certainly flattering, if nothing else. _Then again, it **_was_** something else, although Squall would never admit it, not even to himself. _Better to just forget it. It's far too dangerous to dwell on such things._

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****

Notes: I cannot thank all of you enough for all of the wonderful reviews! Since I don't have any questions to answer-

Riku: Hey, I have a question. When am I going to get some from Sora? 

Squall: You? What about me?

-Nice to see you two are finally getting along, but umm, don't you want this story to have a plot?

Riku: What the hell is a plot?

Squall: No, not really.

-_ Dammit, I can't win. Anyway, I'd like to let everyone know that I'm also posting the first chapter of one of my other stories, called City of Dying Dreams. It's an AU Riku/Sora, and the overall mood is a bit different than this story. Check it out, if you feel so inclined. ^_^

Riku: They won't.

Squall: Damn right.

__

-Grr, shut up or I'll lock Sora into a chastity belt!

Riku: _

Squall: We'll be good.


	6. Chasing Fireflies

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own my skin, my clothes, and a broken ass, unreliable, good for nothing Hewlett Packard computer!!! . 

****

Author's Note: I apologize for dragging ass on this update. See, my hard drive crashed, and my computer is temporarily collecting dust, until I get paid again. The good news is, I had this chapter saved on disk. The bad news is, it's kind of hard to effectively write with people making noise around me, ie. campus computer lab, library, etc. I may be forced to write in longhand, which I absolutely hate to do, since I can't even read my own damn handwriting... But if I must, I must. Through rain, sleet, or snow; the mail must go. Err, something like that. .

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never. 

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It was abnormally hot for nighttime. The humidity was stifling. Wearing jean cutoffs and a wife beater did little to alleviate it, but it was the next best thing to being naked. Riku brushed his sweaty bangs out of his eyes and sighed, the sound falling heavy on his ears. He felt as though his entire body was damp with perspiration as he crouched on the ground next to the backstop. Blades of grass tickled his legs, making him itch and wonder why the hell he was even doing this. It was so childish.

"Riku." His name was spoken so softly, the chirping crickets in the field almost drowned it out. 

Riku looked up. 

Sora stood in front of him, seemingly untouched by the cloying heat. There wasn't so much as a bead of sweat on him, and his voice was utterly joyous as he knelt down in front of his friend. "Did you catch any yet?"

Riku shook his head, marveling at how perfect and content Sora always looked. "No, I suck at this. Always have." 

Sora smiled and opened his hands slightly. Instantly a blue-green light flickered from within his palms, glittering off his eyes. "Tough luck. I just got another one. I already have twelve in the jar, so this makes thirteen."

Riku wasn't all that interested in the firefly. He was much more conscious of the way it's light gave Sora's eyes a crystalline property, almost as if they were lit from within. For a moment he couldn't remember his own name. He didn't realize Sora had spoken it, until he tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Huh?"

"I said, I guess we've caught enough." Sora grinned. "Or rather, **_I've_** caught enough, since you didn't catch **_any_**." 

"Heh." was all Riku could manage. _When did he become so fascinating to me? _he wondered.

Sora shrugged, his eyes glowing. "Well, I can count this one for you instead, since thirteen's an unlucky number." 

Riku struggled to maintain conversation, marveling at the warm feeling Sora's voice was sending through his body. "I guess, it's good for your self esteem if you have at least one thing you can beat me at."

Sora snorted and opened his hands fully. The firefly took flight, flashing slowly as it ascended into the night. "Just for that comment, you don't get anything. Me, twelve. You, zero." He rose to his feet, and stood for a moment, straining to catch a glimpse of the fading light. 

Riku watched him, his eyes drinking in a sight that had seemed so mundane to him before. But now… Clad simply in a t-shirt and jeans, Sora appeared to him a vision that was almost painful to look at, but impossible to look away from. Riku swallowed hard. 

Sora turned back to him and grinned. "Are you going to sit there in the grass all night? The chiggers are going to eat you alive." His eyes were dancing.

"Sora… I…" Riku began. _…Think I love you. _"I… I've fallen, and I can't get up." he finished lamely. _True enough._

Sora laughed and extended his hand. "Jeez Riku, you're awfully infirm for a fourteen year old." 

Hesitantly, Riku reached out and accepted his hand. A feeling of intense heat swept through him, as Sora clasped his hand firmly and pulled him to his feet. 

"Damn, you weigh a ton." Sora teased. "That sapped all the strength out of me. Now let's go set the rest of the fireflies free."

Riku exhaled the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. _Screw the fireflies. _Sora's hand was warm and comforting in his own, and he was loath to let it go. "Sora… I…" _…Know I love you. _"You see… I've always… sort of… you know…" _Damn, just spit it out, already! _"I… well… I… um… that is to say that I…" 

Sora smiled and leaned in close, pressing a finger to his friend's lips. "Shh." He gave Riku a look that sent shivers down his spine. "Don't talk. You're disturbing the peace." 

__

Fuck this, I can't take it anymore. Riku leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sora's. He had intended it to be a sweet kiss, a simple kiss. Just to explain things better than his fumbling words. _Hell… _Riku felt fingers entwine themselves in his hair, and let out a low growl. All his plans for keeping the kiss innocent and chaste flew out the window as he clutched Sora to him desperately. 

Sora melted into him willingly, deepening the kiss, and squeezing his hand slightly.

Riku felt Sora's tongue brush wetly against his own, and gave in hungrily, thinking absently that he tasted of the red licorice they sometimes bought from Mr. Andell's shop. Somewhere beneath the haze of lust, Riku smiled. _I never thought I'd be thinking about Mr. Andell while I was making out. But then, I never thought I'd be making out with Sora, either._

Sora let go of Riku's hair and slipped his hand down Riku's back, pulling him closer to him. 

Riku surrendered, letting go of Sora's hand and grasping the back of his shirt helplessly. His legs were weak as his friend sucked teasingly at his tongue. He growled again, this time with a new urgency.

Sora slid his free hand up under Riku's shirt, raking his short nails softly on his stomach.

Riku felt his muscles tense and dug his fingers into Sora's back. _Where… did he learn that? _He couldn't remember ever being this turned on in his life.

Sora purred, and dragged his hand lower, toying with the waistband of Riku's cutoffs. Fingertips grazed on bare skin, tugging lightly at errant silver hairs.

Riku whimpered into the kiss and felt his hips move of their own accord. _He can do **anything** to me now, and I'll **let** him._ Sora's hand trailed lower, and Riku found himself straining for his touch. _I feel like I'm going to die._

Sora pulled back from the kiss and rested his cheek against his friend's. "Riku…" he whispered. His breath was warm on Riku's skin. "I have something for you." Sora flicked his tongue against the edge of his ear. His hand wandered lower still.

__

Oh, fuck… "What is it?" Riku asked, his voice shaky. _I want him so **bad**._

Sora purred deep in his throat a moment before answering. "The telephone." He bit down on Riku's earlobe.

"Riku! Telephone!"

Riku's eyes shot open. _What the hell? _He was buried under what seemed like a million pounds of cover, and his entire body felt like it was on fire.

His mother, Lillian yelled again from downstairs. "Riku? Did you hear me? The phone is for you! It's Sora!"

Riku groaned and sat up, shoving away his heavy blanket. He must've fallen asleep while waiting for Sora to call him. He glanced at the clock, somewhat shocked to see that it read eight-fifteen. He'd been sleeping for a few hours, then. "I wonder what took him so long to call…"

"Riku? Do you want me to tell him to call back later?"

"No!" Riku shouted and sprang out of the bed. Or tried to, as his legs tangled up in the blanket he had so carelessly cast aside just moments before. It had it's vengeance as he brutally smacked his knee on the night table and tumbled loudly onto the ground. "Shit!"

"Honey, are you okay?" Footsteps on the stairs. "Are you sick or something?" Her voice was in the hallway now.

"I'm fine, ma!" he called back, struggling to disengage himself from the blanket gone mad. _Ow, my leg… _"Don't come in! I'm not decent." That was somewhat true, as the lingering aftereffects of his dream were still plainly visible.

Lillian halted outside his door. "Alright… Well, I'll leave the phone out here. But I need you to come downstairs for a moment before you get too engrossed in your conversation, okay?"

"Okay," Riku answered, rubbing his aching knee. With a dirty look at his traitorous blanket, he limped over to the door and opened it. The phone was laying on the floor beside the doorframe, and he felt a pang of mortification as he realized that it was on. Cautiously he raised it to his ear. "Hello?"

Sora giggled. "Since when are you ever decent, Riku?"

Riku's cheeks flamed. "You heard me?"

"The whole city heard you. It was on the news and everything." Sora quipped.

Riku closed the door, and settled down on his bed. "You know Sora, you've gotten to be quite a smartass. I think someone may have told you that you were witty, one time. They lied." He laid back and closed his eyes.

Sora snorted. "Why were you sitting up in your room naked, anyway? Expecting company?"

Riku blinked. _If I didn't know any better, I would say Sora sounded almost jealous. _"I wasn't naked, per se. I was… in a state of highly obvious arousal. I wanted to spare mom the sight."

"Oh." Sora was quiet for a moment. "Why?"

"Why what?" asked Riku, yawning.

"Why were you… like that?"

"I was dreaming about you." Riku responded easily.

Sora was quiet for so long, Riku wondered if he had accidentally hung up the phone. When he finally did speak again he sounded almost guilty. "Sorry."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Don't be. It's all my fault. It started out innocently enough." He stretched and absently watched the blades of his ceiling fan turn. "I was dreaming of the last summer we went out to the baseball field to catch fireflies."

Sora's voice brightened immediately. "Oh! I remember that year. That was fun! You were fourteen, right? And I was thirteen."

"Yeah." Riku answered. "I dream about that night sometimes." He closed his eyes again, and for a moment he felt Sora's breath against his neck. He shuddered. "Anyway, the dream took an X-rated turn for the worse." _Or better._

"What happened?" asked Sora hesitantly.

Riku felt the corners of his lips tugging back in a smile. "You turned into a raging pervert and molested me." _That should get a rise out of him._

"What?!" Sora shrieked. "I did not!"

Riku snickered. "Yep. You sure did. I felt so violated." He grinned. "I begged and pleaded with you to leave me be, but you just wouldn't listen." he lied shamelessly.

Sora snorted. "Yeah, I'll bet. Like you would ever do that."

Riku couldn't resist. "Well, why don't you try it sometime, and we'll see what happens?"

Before Sora could think up a suitable response, the voice of Riku's mother cut in.

"Riku?" called Lillian. "You didn't forget about me, did you? I just need to see you for a minute."

Riku sat up and sighed. "Sora, you wanna hold on for a bit? I'll be right back."

"Sure." Sora responded agreeably. "I don't have anything better to do."

"Gee thanks." muttered Riku. Setting the phone down, he climbed off the bed and walked over to the door. _I wonder what she wants? _he thought, as he opened the door and headed down the hallway. He could smell food cooking as he went down the stairs, and his stomach growled, belatedly reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime. Turning the corner, he saw his mother moving around in the kitchen. "Ma? You needed something?"

Lillian turned around and smiled at him. "Nice to see you too, honey. Did you have fun at school?" She turned back to the stove and turned off the burner.

Riku pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Actually, I had a shitty day."

Lillian stiffened. "Riku…" she said warningly.

Riku grinned. "Sorry, ma."

"Mom," she corrected, lifting the lid off a pot.

"Mom," he amended. "But crappy just sounds so… lame."

"Hmph. Lame indeed." she answered. She opened the cabinet and took out two plates. Heading over to Riku, she set one in front of him, and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "You keep talking like that, and I'm going to wash your mouth out, pal."

Riku rubbed furiously at the offended cheek. "Ma! Come on, I'm seventeen!"

Lillian laughed, and went back to the stove. "I'm your mother, kiddo. You'll always be my baby, even when you're fifty." she informed him, scooping food onto her plate.

Riku frowned. "Don't remind me." He stood up and headed over to the stove. Peeking over his mother's head, he saw baked chicken, rice, and hateful little green things. _Ugh! Ma why?!_ "Oh yuck, peas..."

"Well, I'd let you cook dinner, but I can only stand so much Captain Crunch." Lillian joked.

"Alright, watch it." said Riku, poking her with his fork. "I can cook."

"Cooking and burning are two different things." she reminded him. She settled down at the table with her plate. "When you get settled, I'll explain what I needed to talk to you about."

Riku looked guilty as he piled food on his plate. "I kind of thought I'd eat in my room tonight, ma. I sort of, um, left Sora on hold."

Lillian blinked. "Oh." She took a bite of her food. "That was awfully rude of you. You're lucky he's such a good friend. I'd treat you to a foghorn blast when you finally made it back to the phone."

"Sora doesn't even have a foghorn." Riku retorted, sticking out his tongue before he caught himself.

"I thought you were supposed to be seventeen?" Lillian asked, smiling knowingly.

Riku groaned in exasperation and set his plate on the counter. "Anyway. What did you need to talk to me about?"

Lillian tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear and sighed. "Well, you know how you were supposed to go see your father in two weeks?"

Riku scowled. "Don't remind me."

Lillian began carefully. "Well, there's been a slight change of plans."

"What? Did he get hit by a bus? Is he dead?" Riku asked hopefully. "Please tell me he's dead."

Lillian shook her head. "No, honey. Sephiroth is as always, alive and well."

Riku groaned again. _The bastard. _"Damn. Then what is it?"

"Well... He's going to Paris at the end of the month, so he wants you to see him this weekend, instead. He's coming over Friday evening to pick you up."

"Ma!" Riku whined. "Come on! That's too short notice! You know I need time to mentally prepare for the anguish he's going to put me through." Lillian sighed again, and Riku was alarmed by how tired she looked. _When did she start to look so… old? _"Mom, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, honey. Just a little sleepy, that's all." She looked at Riku, and he could see the exhaustion clearly in her pale blue eyes. "But you have to work with me on this. I don't like catering to his every whim, either. Still, you know all it takes is one of his many overpriced lawyers to make our lives miserable."

"Too late," muttered Riku. "I hate him."

"Don't say that, Riku." she admonished gently. "At least he isn't dragging you to Paris with him. That was his original plan."

"I'd crash the plane." Riku declared.

"Don't even joke like that. But anyway, it's just for the weekend. I've even made plans for myself, actually." Lillian said.

"Oh yeah?" asked Riku, instantly curious. "Like what?"

"I'm going to a bible retreat. Aerith talked me into it."

"Eww. I thought you were going to do something fun." Riku responded, frowning. "That friend of yours is such a bad influence on you, ma."

Lillian waved her fork at him. "Alright, now **_you_** watch it." She smirked. "If you're fixing to get struck down, take it outside. I work too hard down at that beauty shop to have my house go up in flames because you want to get cheeky with God." 

Riku rolled his eyes. _If I was going to get struck down, it would've happened already. _"Yeah, yeah. Is that all you needed to tell me?"

"Yes, that was it." Lillian assured him. "I just wanted to make sure you knew, so that when you saw his car pull up outside on Friday, you didn't throw yourself off the roof in horror, thinking he'd won sole custody." 

Riku grimaced. "I'd run away first."

"I don't doubt it, honey. But you're going to be eighteen soon, so then you could just walk away, instead." Lillian teased.

"Alright ma, that's enough. I'm going to go get back to the phone before Sora takes it into his head to kill me." Riku picked up his plate, and kissed his mother on the cheek as he passed. "Later."

"Riku!" she mock-whined, rubbing at her cheek. 

Riku stuck out his tongue again, and bounded up the stairs. _I hope Sora's still on the phone. That was a pretty long time. _He entered his room, and setting the plate on his nightstand, he picked up the phone. 

"It's tearing up my heart when I'm with you. But when we are apart I feel it too. And no matter what I do I feel the pain…" Sora sang softly. 

"Oh shit!" Riku laughed uproariously. "You're listening to N'Sync?! And singing along?!"

"Well, you took so long to come back!" Sora stammered. Riku could practically hear him blushing over the phone. 

"Sora, my love." Riku began. "Allow me to say that you have the shittiest taste in music of anyone I know. Even Wakka with his reggae and Tidus with his techno cannot compare."

Sora sniffed. "Whatever. What took you so long, anyway?" N'Sync crooned on in the background.

Riku scowled as he took a bite of his chicken. "Mom dropped a bomb on me. I'm going over my dad's house for the weekend."

"Ah. Sorry." said Sora sympathetically. 

"Yeah, well. He originally wanted to take me to Paris with him, so I guess I can't be too pissed." Riku admitted. 

"You didn't want to go to Paris?" asked Sora in disbelief. 

"Not with him." explained Riku. "Besides, there's nothing over there for me anyway. All I want is right here." He finished his chicken and started on his rice. "Or rather, in your house."

"My Game Cube?" asked Sora, jokingly.

Riku smiled. There it was again, Sora's instant calming effect. _He still has no idea what he does to me._ "Nah, it's the CD burner. I keep forgetting to steal it when I'm over there. Remind me to bring a pillow case the next time I stop by." Riku fished around halfheartedly in his peas, before setting his plate aside with disgust. _Eww… _"So, how did detention with that gorgeous asshole Leonhart go?" 

Sora was quiet for a few minutes and all Riku could hear was Justin Timberlake whining about some girl or another. 

"Sora?" he asked.

"Well," Sora began. "It was pretty decent. He made me do my homework."

__

Ah, homework. I knew I forgot to do something, Riku thought, glancing disdainfully at his unopened book bag where it lay, propped against his closet door. "Oh. What else?"

"That was it, really." Sora answered. "Then… we talked for a little bit."

"He can hold a conversation?" exclaimed Riku. "Well, I'll be damned. I guess that bug up his ass comes out for coffee breaks sometimes."

"He's actually a nice guy." snapped Sora, defensively. 

Riku blinked. _Okay… _"Whatever you say, Sora. Don't pitch a fit or anything."

Sora sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I had an attitude. It's just…" He yawned. "I'm really tired. Kairi talked my head off when I got home, and I haven't even had a shower yet…"

"Mmm…" interrupted Riku. "Shower…" A grin spread upon his face as he pondered the concept. "Now developing mental images. One moment please."

"Riku! Can you try not to be a pervert for five minutes?" squawked Sora, mortified.

__

Where's the fun in that? "The cheerleading squad doesn't call me Super Flirt for nothing, Sora." reminded Riku.

Sora scoffed. "I thought they called you David Cop-A-Feel."

__

Ha! "That was so bad, I'm not even going to dignify it with a response." Riku replied, trying not to laugh out loud. 

"You just did." pointed out Sora, smugness creeping into his voice.

"**_Anyway_**," Riku began. "I am not going to stoop so low as to trade 'I know you are, but what am I' type barbs with a mere **_sixteen year old_**. As the **_mature one_**, I have to draw the line somewhere." 

"You keep talking like that, and my eyes are going to get stuck in the back of my head from rolling them so much, Riku." Sora laughed.

Riku snickered. "That would be hilarious, and yet a shame, because then I would be deprived of seeing their beauty." _That sounded almost poetic. _"I've never met another person with eyes like yours, Sora."

"Thanks." he yawned. "Well, I hate to ditch you so soon, but I really am beat, and I still need to take a shower, so I have to go."

Riku closed his eyes, a pained expression staining his features. _Good lord. _"Sora, why must you torture me so? Quit talking about the shower, please?"

Once again, Riku could practically hear the blush in Sora's face. "Sorry… I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Riku answered, trying to keep from snickering. "Could you do me one favor though?" _As usual, he suspects nothing._

"Sure, what is it?" asked Sora, innocently.

__

Sucker. "Take pictures!" Riku suggested, his pained expression replaced immediately by a deliriously happy grin.

"Goodnight, pervert." Sora gritted.

"Night, baby." Riku cooed, hanging up the phone. He let it fall onto the mattress beside him as he gazed up at the ceiling fan. The lingering sound of Sora's voice brought back the dream to his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of the night where he first realized the true nature of his feelings toward Sora. It was, however, the first time Sora had reacted so favorably, and Riku shuddered, the images resurfacing in his memory. 

__

I have work to do, I don't have time for this. Rolling onto his side he grudgingly turned his sights on the book bag resting against his closet door. _Damn, why couldn't I be smart like Sora and do my homework during school? All he has to do now is just take a shower… Oh hell. _Riku rolled again onto his back in defeat as his helpless hormone-controlled mind was riddled with visions wicked enough to drive all thoughts of homework from his brain. _I can't work like this_, he thought. With disdain he looked at the phone. _I really need to cut back. _Sighing, he picked it up and dialed. 

The person answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

Riku wished more than anything that it was Sora. _Fate is so cruel, but beggars can't be choosers. _For a moment he considered simply hanging up, but the restlessness in his blood would not be denied so easily.

"Hello?" the voice repeated, hopefully.

__

Here we go again. Riku took a deep breath and dove. "Hello again, Jake. Mind if I come over for a bit?"

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****

Notes: First of all, I have to thank all the wonderful reviewers. My eyes almost popped out of my head...

Riku: Eww!

...When I saw how many people have posted. I appreciate all of it.

Well, if you didn't just skip over the disclaimer, you know why it took me so long to update. If you skipped it, I suggest you go back and read it. . 

One good thing though, is that I've had a lot of time to think about the overall plot and where I'm going with this story, and I've had some pretty interesting ideas. I'm not changing anything, but I'm adding some stuff that'll make the whole story better. I also intend to accelerate things a bit in the next chapter. 

But that'll be enough ominous foreshadowing, time to answer a few questions! Sora will be helping today, and Riku too, because I can't get rid of the little bastard. .

__

1. How old is Squall here? twenties?

Sora: Good question! Squall is...

Riku: Two days older than dirt.

-Squall is twenty seven. Old enough to know better, but young enough not to give a damn.

  
_2. J/w, does any of the other characters intervene? Like Kairi, or even Tidus? _

Riku: They'd better not!

-You'll just have to wait and see. .

__

3. r u going to make a lemon between leon and then have riku rape sora?

Sora: O.O

-I'm dying to answer that, but I'd be giving away a major plot point. .

__

4. or are you going to have riku rape sora then a lemon between leon and sora? 

Sora: O.O

-Likewise.

__

5. or just two lemons or one? or nether?

Riku: Shit, I wish this damn fool would try to write this story without lemons!

-Ha, I definitely expect to have more than two lemons in this story. It'll be all **BANNED: "Too Hot for FanFiction"**, and shit by the time it's through, probably. Lemonade, but with a plot. 

Sora: Don't I get a say in this?

-Hell no. And for those of you who just want a pointless, plotless Riku .x. Sora lemon, be sure to keep an eye out for the one-shot smut fic Aquarium Epiphany that will probably be uploaded during the next week. It'll probably be up for about a week too, once the TOS people get a look at it, but we'll see. . And do not despair, Squall .x. Sora fans, for your time too will come. 

I am so going to get banned, eventually. .


	7. Friends

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I do however, own a lovely trashcan that is just about the right size to hold my damn computer if it ever decides to pull another stunt like that again. shakes fist at computer Ass.

****

Author's Note: So yeah, I got my computer fixed. All it took was the entire contents of my checking account and a couple hundred hours on the phone with HP customer service. Not to mention a complete reformatting of my hard drive. runs off sobbing Why?!

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Squall Leonhart turned away from the board as the morning bell rang throughout the school. Carefully, he set down the chalk and dusted off his hands, casually surveying his class. He noted with a sense of triumph that everyone appeared to be on time, no doubt remembering the example he had set the day before. Although, sitting after school and making conversation with him was hardly what Squall would call punishment, it seemed to have done the trick. _Surely I'm not that bad to talk to_, he mused. Still, he doubted if his detention had brought about any real change in Sora. The kid naturally struck him as the type who didn't go looking for trouble.

Even now, Sora was seated patiently at his desk, notebook open. His blue eyes met Squall's own for an instant, and then hurried away, shifting almost guiltily towards Riku.

__

Ah Riku, thought Squall. _Now there was a real character. _The kid was practically sprawled out on his desk, looking like Hell warmed over. Squall wondered idly if he'd even bothered to brush his hair after getting out of bed. _He was probably up too late doing something, or someone he had no business doing_. Squall had already heard a few of the things students were saying about Riku. He noticed how giggly girls tended to act when they heard his name, and the way the guys spoke of him with obvious reverence.

Squall personally didn't see what all the fuss was for, yet he couldn't stop wondering about the nature of his relationship with Sora. _No time to think about it now, though._ He made a mental note to save it for detention. Class had to come first.

Clearing his throat, he addressed everyone with an energy he didn't quite feel. "Good morning students. I trust that all of you are feeling well-rested and ready to begin today's lesson? First of all, I would like all of you to pass forward yesterday's assignment so that I can collect them."

There was a collective shuffling of papers as the class readied itself. Even Riku mustered up enough effort to dig out his notebook. Placing it on his desk, he laid his head down on top of it. _Man, I'm wasted. _His diversion with Jake had proven to be more time and energy consuming than he'd expected. Jake had welcomed him with an enthusiasm that quite frankly worried him, and had practically demanded just about all that Riku had to give. Something about the way Jake had looked at him when he left didn't sit right with him. He felt that he probably shouldn't see Jake again, but at the same time he knew that he would go back. The sex was just too good. Yawning, he lifted his eyes and tried to look like he was paying attention. He could feel Sora's eyes on him, but he ignored it, not at all wanting to look at Sora while Jake was still fresh in his mind.

Sora gave up looking at Riku and turned back to his teacher. _He seems a little off today. I'll just have to talk to him after class. _He passed his homework to the person in front of him, and watched as Squall came around to collect the stacks of papers.

"Before we move on, are there any questions about yesterday's reading selection?" Squall asked, setting the papers on his own desk.

Only Tidus raised his hand, the action eliciting groans of protest from his peers who apparently wanted to move on to something different.

Squall toyed with the idea of ignoring him, decided it would be too unprofessional, and gave in. "Yes?"

Relieved, Tidus dropped his hand. "I just didn't get it." he started. "This couple finds some big pearl that's supposed to make them rich. Then these jerks chase them, and try to take it, but they all get killed, and so does the couple's baby. But to make matters worse, they throw the pearl away in the end." His brows furrowed in confusion. "So, I mean, what's the point?"

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Well, judging from your scholarly interpretation of the text, I'd say that you would do well to buy the Cliff's Notes for any future readings that I assign."

Riku found that he still had just enough energy to laugh loudly at Tidus' expense.

Squall shot him a cold look, before returning his impassive gaze to Tidus. _At least he has the good sense to look embarrassed._ "I doubt that you were the only one who had some trouble with the text, Tidus." He raised his eyes to observe the entire class. "Would someone be so kind as to give an explanation of the point of the text, in their own words?"

Immediately, Sora raised his hand. An unexplainable need to impress Squall seemed to have permeated his mind, and he quickly organized his words, not wanting to sound stupid.

Squall looked briefly around the room before his gaze caught Sora. Their eyes met, and he gave him permission to speak with an almost imperceptible nod. "Go ahead."

Sora lowered his hand, his eyes bright with excitement. "The thing is, you can't always get what you want. No matter how badly you want or need it. You can give your all, sacrifice everything you hold dear, just for this one thing, that might even fit right in the palm of your hand." He cupped his hands demonstratively. "Like the pearl. But, you can't hold it for long. You have to let it go, because if you don't it'll destroy you and all that you hold dear. Some things just aren't meant for us to have." he finished softly, his expression unreadable. _I hope I didn't sound stupid or anything._

Squall was suddenly struck by a chill of foreshadowing, as if something in Sora's interpretation had been illustrated to him once before, and would be again, at some point in his future. An image of Rinoa wavered into his mind for an instant and was gone. _Dammit, I have a class to teach, now is not the time for theatrics_. He willed himself to return to his task, and looked pointedly at Tidus. "Now, do you understand?"

"Nope!" proclaimed Tidus, cheerfully.

Squall gritted his teeth, and walked back to his desk. Sitting down, he grudgingly admitted that Sora's concept of the plot probably was too complex for Tidus' obviously simple brain. _Promptly concede defeat. _"Alright then. Change of plans. Instead of moving on to the next story today, everyone will explain The Pearl in their own words." The class groaned, but Squall continued. "This will probably work as a benefit to you, once you have your first test. Sometimes it helps to hear the opinions of others."

"Unless that other is a idiot." muttered Riku. _At least I'll be able to sleep through this bullshit._

Squall's eyes turned toward Riku. "Since you seem so full of pep today, why don't you start, Riku?"

Riku sighed, and nuzzled deeper into his own folded arms. "Alright. I personally think the story is a warning to our capitalist society, on the dangers of pursuing wealth over personal happiness." He nonchalantly slid his eyes over to Tidus, and smirked to see that his classmate was even more confused. _My work here is done. _He closed his eyes, feeling content despite his incredible exhaustion.

Squall sighed, knowing that it would be a long day. "Thank you, Riku. Who would like to go next?"

By the time the dismissal bell rang, Squall wished he'd never even heard of The Pearl. _Steinbeck, you've ruined me. _He noticed that all of his students were still regarding him expectantly, waiting for tonight's assignment. _Except one, anyway. _At some point during the thirty seconds it took for the bell to finish ringing, Riku had exited the classroom, apparently not giving a damn about the homework. _To Hell with him. _"There's no homework tonight." Squall announced, much to the joy of the students. _I'm doing it more for my benefit, than theirs._ Listening to all of his students stumble through the text, violating it beyond belief, had turned his own brain to mush, and he knew he'd need rest before he could even begin to think about starting them on anything new. The realization that he still had the rest of the day ahead of him, caused him to groan. _Lord, I don't feel like doing this for another three classes._ Looking up, he saw that Sora was standing by the door, looking back at him, as if he wanted to say something. "Yes?"

"I was just making sure, I still have detention today, right?" Sora asked, his voice almost hopeful.

Squall looked back at him with amusement. "Of course, you do. Although, you should try not to sound so happy about it. If the other students hear you, they'll think detention with me is where you just sit and play video games for an hour or something fun like that."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sora joked, before walking out the door. He hurried to his locker, frowning to find that Riku was not there. _I wonder where he went off to, so fast? He sure is acting funny today, but I guess I can catch him at lunch, _he thought as he prepared for second period.

"Well, so much for what I thought earlier." Sora muttered, hours later. He looked restlessly around the cafeteria, neglecting his chicken nuggets. He hadn't seen Riku at all since first period, and it was starting to get to him.

"Looking for someone, ya?" asked Wakka. He'd noticed Sora's almost constant glances around the room as soon as he'd sat down. He figured he knew who Sora was looking for, and he also figured he knew where that person was.

Sora sighed and started on his nuggets. "Yeah. I was trying to see if Riku had shown up yet. I haven't seen him since this morning, and he was acting really out of it then."

"Oh, I overheard some people saying that they saw him in the locker room a little while back." Tidus offered helpfully.

Sora frowned. "But he doesn't have gym until after lunch. Why would he be in the locker room now?"

"Cheerleaders." answered Tidus, around a mouthful of French fries.

Wakka nodded. "You're probably right, ya. We all know how Riku is." He noticed the play of emotions across Sora's face, and sighed inwardly. He was always disturbed by the underlying drama between Riku and Sora. With Riku being a ticking time bomb, and Sora being so smart and so dense all at once, it was a sure recipe for disaster. _One of these days, something is going to set a spark, and then the shit will really hit the fan. _He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's in good hands, ya."

Tidus laughed uproariously, knocking his remaining fries on the floor while in the throes of his fit.

Wakka rolled his eyes. "Since Riku isn't here, I'll take over his post. You didn't need any more of those fries anyway, Tidus. Especially since you've started getting fat in the face, ya."

Tidus snorted. "Pfft. Coming from you, it doesn't have any meaning, hefty."

Sora snickered, his mood gradually improving. "I swear, you guys are too much."

"I know." grinned Tidus. "Hey, isn't that your hot cousin, sitting over there with Selphie and the rest of the goodtime girls?" He pointed at the table where all the cheerleaders were sitting, until Wakka slapped his hand down.

Sora nodded, and smiled to see that Kairi appeared to be having a good time. Her violet eyes sparkled as she chatted animatedly with the other girls. Sora noticed the easy way she brushed back her auburn hair from her face when she grinned, showing her perfect white teeth. "I'm glad she found lots of friends so quickly." he said honestly. "Too bad I didn't get that gene."

"Well, she's certainly got a friend in me." Tidus replied. "I think I'm in love."

Wakka groaned. "You fall in love several times a day, ya."

Tidus shrugged. "What can I say? I've just got so much love to give."

Despite the conversation going on around him, Sora's attention remained fixed on the table where Kairi was sitting, and he mentally counted the cheerleaders surrounding her. _They're all there. There's no one missing… So who is Riku in the locker room with_? His mind went back to Sunday afternoon. _Jake Addison… He's on the football team, so naturally he'd be in the locker room during some part of the day. But then_… Riku always made it a point to never pursue the same person twice. Sora flushed. _Unless he's developed a thing for Jake or something. _Riku was prone to temporary bouts of infatuation, but they always ended quickly, with plenty of drama and angry phone calls. Sora shuddered at the thought of having to deal with another one of those episodes. _With the captain of the football team, nonetheless. _A tap on the back broke through his dismal thoughts. He looked up to see both Tidus and Wakka looking at him with concern. "Yeah?"

"You smoking crack or something?" Tidus asked. "Because I want some."

Sora swatted at him playfully. "Oh shut up. I was just wondering about Riku, is all."

Tidus groaned. "Oh, come on! Don't have a shit fit, man. He's fine. He's probably laid up somewhere, violating some pretty little underclassman. Just chill, already."

"You're right." Sora relented. "I'm just being stupid. I'm sure he's fine."

Later on, sitting in Physics class, Sora wasn't so sure. Riku was passed out on his desk as usual, but he seemed genuinely exhausted, instead of just bored. He had already been slumped over the desk when Sora entered the room, not bothering to even pretend to participate in the class. If the instructor was bothered by it, he didn't show it, instead launching flawlessly into a summary of what they would learn today, via the overhead projector. Once the lights had gone out, Riku's sleep seemed to have deepened, the slight rise and fall of his sides being the only indication that he was still in the land of the living.

Sora resisted the urge to feel his forehead, and concentrated on copying the notes from the screen. It proved to be a futile endeavor, as his thoughts and eyes constantly strayed to his best friend. _Why am I so worried, he's always like this! _But still, his mind returned to Riku's abrupt departure from English class. He always waited for Sora at their lockers, he had been doing it for years. _I wonder if I upset him last night on the phone. _Sora searched his memory, trying to figure out what he could've said that would cause Riku to avoid him. _Maybe it's the way I act when he tells me that he likes me. _He sighed, and blew an errant strand of spiky brown hair away from his eyes. _But I don't like guys, I can't help that. _He felt a tingle go up his spine, and remembered his English teacher. _Okay, so that's not entirely true. I do, sort of, like Mr. Leonhart. At least, I think he's really good-looking. But, if I can think that Mr. Leonhart is… cute… _Sora blushed at the thought and was eternally grateful that the lights were off. _Then I should be able to think that Riku is cute. _Somewhat leery of this way of reasoning, Sora found his eyes roaming over to his right, nonetheless.

While the light from the overhead projector was not exactly flattering, Riku's good looks were still apparent enough. His handsome features were softly illuminated in the dim lighting, his long lashes resting against his smooth skin. As though responding to Sora's thoughts, he breathed deeply and nestled deeper into the crook of his arms.

Sora quickly averted his eyes, his heart racing. _Okay, so I'll admit, he is sort of cute. _Yet Riku didn't fill him with that feeling that he got from looking at Squall. _The only time Riku makes me feel… that way is when he's doing… things to me._ The incident from the previous day where Riku had pinned him to his locker flashed into his mind, making him blush again. _Yeah, that definitely made me feel a little weird… But then I'd probably feel that way if anyone were doing that sort of thing to me_. He briefly glanced around the classroom and immediately changed his opinion. Some people would just outright disgust him if they tried that. Even his close friends Tidus and Wakka would disturb him greatly if they ever tried to touch him the way Riku did. _So… I have to like Riku in some way, in order to not be disgusted by the things he does… Right? _Sora felt a dull throb in his brain, and rubbed his temples soothingly. _I've gone and given myself a headache from all this mess._

The lights clicked on suddenly, jarring him from his musings, and making him wince at the unexpected onslaught of brightness. _Geez, why don't teachers ever warn you when they do that? _He glanced at Riku again, surprised to see that he was still asleep. _He must really be tired._

The dismissal bell rang, and his teacher quickly called out the pages for the homework assignment, as the sound of ruffling pages, scraping chairs and backpack zippers nearly drowned him out. Sora quickly scribbled down the information, and gently nudged Riku awake.

Riku sighed deeply and opened his eyes. "Hmm? What is it?" he questioned in a voice husky from drowsiness.

__

Yeah, he really is sort of cute. Sora shook his head. "Nothing. Class is over, that's all."

"Oh, thanks." Riku murmured. He sat up and yawned, looking extremely adorable. In that moment Sora was reminded of Riku as a child, before the evil hormones of the teen years had ravaged his pure mind. "Fucking physics puts me to sleep every time." Riku said, shattering the image of childhood innocence.

Sora sighed, and gathered his belongings. "You're going to fail, if you keep this up."

"No, I'm going to die, if I keep this up." Riku muttered, standing to leave. Jake had ambushed him before lunch, and he'd been spending the rest of the day trying to recharge his batteries, knowing that he'd probably be getting another helping of Jake's enthusiastic attentions later in the evening. _Jake definitely eats his Wheaties, that's for sure. _He was conscious of Sora's presence beside him as he made his way to his locker and felt a pang of guilt. _Fuck, he probably doesn't care anyway. I'll bet he's glad I'm not all over his nuts right now._

"Riku?" asked Sora hesitantly, as he opened his locker and put away the books he didn't need. _I don't even know what I'm going to say._

Riku opened his own locker. "Yeah?" He unzipped his book bag to empty it, and noticed that it was already empty. _Oh hell… That's right… _After he'd finally escaped Jake, he hadn't had a chance to make it to his locker before his next class. He tried to remember what he'd done in his classes since then, and was shocked to realize that he couldn't. With a groan, he laid his head against the locker door and let his empty bag drop to the floor. _I really am going to fail if I keep this up. That's it, I'm going to cut this loose. No more Jake. _He glared southward. _This is all your fault, pal, but it's over now. _He shoved his empty bag into his locker and closed the door. _At least I don't have any homework, or at least I can't remember if I do._

"Riku?" asked Sora again. _He's so spaced out…_

This time Riku turned around to look at him. "What is it, Sora?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Sora asked, concern apparent in his voice and facial expression.

Riku nodded and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Never better? Why?"

Sora averted his eyes. "No reason. Just paranoid, I guess. You've been acting a little funny today. More spaced out than usual."

"I got a hold of some fantastic drugs last night." Riku joked. "I guess since you busted me, I have to share them with you."

Sora snorted, his mood brightening. "Whatever. You can keep those to yourself, you budding crackhead." _Maybe he just stayed up late or something. But that still doesn't explain his absence at lunch. But then I guess it's not really my business. _He looked back at Riku. "You want me to call you tonight?"

Riku felt a wave of heat go through him at the thought of Sora calling him for the same reason he called Jake. "Sure." _Although, with the way things are going now, I probably won't be at home_. "You know that you can call me anytime and for any reason." He smirked and leaned seductively against his locker. "Hell, you can even surprise me with a naked visit. I don't mind."

Sora flushed and looked away. _He's doing one of those things he does… _"Okay. I'd better get going. Don't want to be late for detention."

Riku's expression darkened slightly. "I'll bet. Later, then." He pushed away from the locker and walked off before Sora could respond.

__

And now he's being weird again. What did I do? Sora wondered, hurt. He absently made his way to the classroom, mulling over Riku's sudden change of temperament. _Riku has always been moody, but this is weird, even for him. I can never figure him out._ Sighing, he turned the corner and found his English class. Before he had even stepped completely over the threshold, all thoughts of his friend had fled his mind.

Squall Leonhart did not see his arrival as he erased the chalkboard, the dark mane of his hair draping over his broad shoulders. A wandering question about whether that was against the employee dress code briefly entered Sora's mind before it was rudely shoved out by more astute observations. Foremost in his swirling thoughts was the realization that Squall's movements had revealed to him a scant amount of skin on his lower back. His gaze fixated on that single spot, unconsciously obsessing and marveling at it's perfection. Sora realized with muted horror that he was dying to touch it, and swallowed hard.

In that unfortunate instant, Squall chose to turn around, once again giving Sora a taste of utter humiliation as his gray eyes landed on his pupil.

Immediately, Sora dropped his eyes. _Oh man, not again! _He felt a little light-headed at the realization that he had been busted for the second time in a row. _I wonder if you can get suspended for being a pervert. _Hesitantly, he looked up, somewhat intimidated by the unreadable expression on his teacher's face.

Squall blinked slowly, willing himself not to dwell on his blood's instinctive reaction to the look he'd just caught Sora giving him. _That's the second time he's done that, that I know of, anyway. Lord only knows how often he's done it in class, while I've been too distracted by the other students to notice it._ He set down the eraser, and walked around to his chair. Sitting down, he resolved to handle the issue in his typical fashion. _Ignore it, Leonhart. _Folding his arms, he fixed Sora with a look of neutral expression. "And so you have returned for more, hmm?"

Sora took note of the heat coursing through his body, and flew quickly to his seat, needing to sit down. "I guess you could say that." he mumbled. The double entendre was killing him inside.

Squall sighed, unconsciously wishing that he'd let the moment stretch out longer. "Well, as usual there is nothing I have set aside for you to do, unless you want to grade homework assignments."

__

God, please no! "I didn't realize I had a choice." Sora proposed, hoping to get out of it. He had no desire to touch those papers after the mockery his classmates had made out of The Pearl earlier, and he knew his teacher didn't want to read them either.

Squall raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say all that, now. I asked if you wanted to do it. If not…" He smirked. "I'll still make you do it anyway."

Sora gaped at him. "That is so unfair!"

Squall nodded, feeling surprised at how good he was feeling now. "Nobody ever said life was going to be fair." _I know that all too well…_

"I'm sure someone did." argued Sora, his blue eyes sparkling defiantly.

Squall's smirk grew even more taunting, and his voice was maddeningly smug as he replied. "Sure. And someone also said the world was flat." _I enjoy picking with him far too much._

"The world is sort of flat. We walk on it, don't we?" Sora shot back, drawn fully into the silly debate. "And whatever happened to free will?"

"Yeah, yeah." Squall placated. _Hell, a high school kid talking to me about free will?! What is this world coming to? _"Anyway, there is no free will inside this room. This is the United States of Squall. Outside this room is free will, but not inside."

"That is such childish reasoning!" Sora proclaimed. _I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over something so stupid_. He crossed his arms and glowered unsuccessfully, irritated with himself for succumbing to his teacher's petty jests, but amused despite it.

Squall leaned back in his chair and nodded sagely. "That it is, Sora. That it is. Now come and get these papers." He tapped the manila folder resting near the edge of his desk. He felt a surge of playfulness as Sora grudgingly approached and took the folder, scowling. _This is hilarious, and I just can't help myself_. Adding insult to injury, he did something so uncharacteristic that Sora could only stare at him in disbelief.

"I still can't believe you stuck your tongue out at me." Sora muttered, forty minutes later as he put the graded papers back in the manila envelope. _Riku would've taken that as an invitation._

Squall smirked. "Yep, and if you tell anyone, I'll claim it never happened."

"No one would believe me, anyway." Sora replied, as he stood and returned the folder to it's place on Squall's desk. He deliberately avoided Squall's gaze, having grown weary of embarrassing himself. Carefully, he returned to his seat, and opened his backpack. He had started on his homework when Squall's smooth voice broke into his thoughts.

Squall had considered and rejected various things to say in order to initiate conversation. Such a thing was alien to him, and he was literally at a loss for words. He didn't know why he was being so unusually talkative, but he had some strange urge to converse with Sora. _It's probably because he actually has a functioning brain in his head, unlike so many people I know. Then again, I don't know that many people_. The thought was mildly unsettling. "What do you do, when you're not at school?" he asked, needing to break the silence.

Sora looked up, surprised. "Um, nothing much. I mean, I hang out at home, or downtown, or over my friend's houses." He was pleased that Squall had asked him a question about himself.

"Do you have a lot of friends?" Squall asked, hating the corny way it sounded, but unable to think of anything better.

"Not really." Sora answered truthfully. "I mean, there's Tidus," He snickered at the way Squall frowned. "And there's Wakka, and there's Riku." His thoughts shifted briefly to Riku's odd behavior.

"Ah." Squall said. "You have some interesting friends. Especially Tidus and Riku. Wakka is in one of my other classes, and seems alright, though." _That's an understatement. _Wakka was the only one of Sora's friends that he didn't actively dislike. "Have you known them for a long time?"

Sora's brow furrowed. "Sort of. I met Tidus and Wakka back in middle school, but I've known Riku all my life." Hearing the words spoken out loud gave him something of a glimpse into Riku's point of view. _He has been there for me for as far back as I remember._

Squall staunchly ignored the slight jab he felt at the confirmation of his suspicions. "You two must be really close then." _Not that it's any of my business._

__

You have no idea. A vivid image of Riku reaching for his zipper last Sunday assailed Sora's helpless brain. His cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, and he waved a hand as if to stave off his embarrassment. "Ha! Um, I guess you could say that. Ha ha!" Face flaming, he pointedly inspected his hands, certain that his teacher was probably staring at him like he had lost his mind. _Maybe I have gone nuts. Yep, definitely flipped my lid. _"So, what about you?"

"What about me?" asked Squall, staring at Sora oddly. _What was up with that reaction?_

"What do you do when you're not at school, err, at work?" Sora questioned. Cautiously he looked up again, feeling the heat leave his face.

Squall shrugged. "Nothing really. I sleep, eat, and perform various bodily functions."

"You sound like a robot." Sora replied, disappointed.

"I feel like a robot sometimes." Squall confessed. "That's just how I am. I don't have much of a life." _I can't believe I just revealed to one of my students that I don't have a life. Serves me right if I get made fun of._

Sora frowned. "What about hanging out with your friends?"

__

What friends? "I don't really have too many of those." Squall admitted. "I have one really, and that's about it. I'm too antisocial."

"Oh." Sora remarked. _And I always thought that I was isolated. _A crazy thought occurred to him. "Well, now you have two. And I have four. So we both get something out of it."

Squall blinked, confused. "Are you saying that you want to be my friend?"

Sora nodded, grinning. "Why not? I mean, you don't have any, you said so yourself."

"So I did." answered Squall, mentally kicking himself in the ass. "But why would you want to be friends with your teacher? Don't you kids consider that extremely uncool or something like that?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "So what? I mean, I'm practically considered extremely uncool." It was not altogether true. He knew that a lot of girls had crushes on him, and a lot of people were friendly to him, but he often felt alone, nonetheless. "The only reason anyone even knows who I am is because I hang out with Riku, Tidus and Wakka. Tidus and Wakka are team captains, and Riku is just popular. But me, I don't play any sports, I'm not in any clubs, and I don't date a bunch of cool people. I'm really just a loser, I guess, which is sort of depressing once you hear it said aloud."

Squall shook his head. "Don't say that. I was the same way when I was in high school. Except everyone knew who I was because the biggest asshole in school was obsessed with making my life Hell."

"Why?" asked Sora, immediately interested. He loved hearing about people's pasts, and he was sure that Squall's must've been unique.

Squall shrugged. He had long since stopped trying to figure out the blonde man's reasons for tormenting him during his years at Balamb Garden. "Why does anyone ever do something cruel to someone else?" Seifer Almasy had always been a mystery to him since day one. "I don't really know for certain. Maybe it was because all of his ex-girlfriends wanted to go out with me. Maybe it was because I was the only one who could beat him in a fight. Who knows?"

"Or," began Sora. "Maybe he liked you, and it was his way of showing it."

"Perhaps." agreed Squall. "Either way, I'll never know. Seifer is a closed book to me now. I couldn't reopen it if I wanted to."

"Why do you say that?" asked Sora, wanting to know more.

"Because he's dead." Squall replied simply. _Like so many others that I knew. Talk about things being depressing._

"Oh! Sorry…" Sora felt slightly ashamed for prying. It was flattering that Squall had shared a part of his personal life with him, but still, he didn't mean to be nosy. He resolved to change the subject. "So, are you going to be my friend or not?"

Squall felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. _He certainly is persistent. I'll give him that._ "I didn't realize I had a choice." he teased.

"You don't." Sora assured him. "There's no free will inside this room, remember? I'll be your friend no matter what you say. So you might as well give in now and save yourself the trouble."

"Troublemakers get detention, you know." Squall warned, smiling openly now.

"Tell me about it." answered Sora, sighing dramatically.

For some reason the action struck Squall as hilarious and he found himself laughing. It was completely different from his usual sarcastic laughter, instead it was the sort of good clean laughter that makes you feel vibrantly alive and untroubled. He stopped after a moment and looked at Sora admiringly. _He makes me laugh so easily, it's weird. _"You know you're really something."

"Something good, I hope." Sora replied. Squall's beautiful smile had caused the slightest tingling in his stomach, and now he understood fully what it meant to have butterflies. Wistfully, he glanced at the clock, knowing that it was past time to go. It was in fact, a good bit beyond the designated time. "Wow, I'd better get home or Kairi will wonder where I'm at."

"Kairi?" inquired Squall. _I'm shocked Riku would let any girls get close to Sora._

"Oh, she's my cousin." explained Sora. "She's living with my mom and I for the time being."

"Ah, I thought it had to be something like that." Squall replied, nodding.

"What?" asked Sora.

"Nothing." Squall amended quickly. "But yeah, you'd better get home. I need to go too. Dinner isn't going to up and cook itself, although considering how expensive groceries are, they should be able to cook themselves."

"You can cook?" asked Sora in disbelief, and then flushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude about it. It's just that you don't seem like the type."

Squall smirked. _Very funny. _"Who knows. Maybe I'll surprise you, and bring you some leftovers one day."

"Sure." agreed Sora amicably. "Just don't take it personally when I get them tested by the Poison Control Center first." He gathered his books, and stood, smoothly pulling his book bag onto his back. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Unless I get poisoned by my own cooking." Squall answered. He watched Sora leave, feeling strangely at ease. _It's good to laugh sometimes. I get sick of always feeling so dead inside. _He gathered his folders, wondering idly if it was healthy to enjoy hanging around a student so much.

In the hall, Sora was whistling, and he could hardly wait to get home to call Riku and cheer him up. _I'm sure that once he gets some sleep, he'll be back to normal. I was probably just being paranoid. _Detention had erased all worry from his mind, making him feel mildly giddy. _I guess Squall just has that effect on me. _He blushed at the thought of referring to his teacher in such personal terms, and sighed. "Sheesh, I'm turning into such a girl." He pushed open the double doors and stepped out into the warm fall sunlight. Thoughts of Riku and Squall intermingling in his mind, he began to walk home.

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Notes: Thank you to everyone for being so patient! On behalf of my sorry ass computer, I'd like to apologize. I felt really bad about not updating in so long. I had every intention of doing so, honest!

Riku: Liar.

Shut up! Baka! smacks him on the head

Riku: xx

Anyway, I felt so bad, that I decided to do a double update. Two chapters for the price of one. It's like those commercials with Crazy Eddie's or something. All chapters must go! We're slashing prices like crazy over here!

Riku: Nutcase.

You certainly have an awful smart mouth for someone who was supposed to be knocked out. raises fist

Riku: jumps on the floor xx

That's what I thought.


	8. Come Away

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I do however, own a lovely trashcan that is just about the right size to hold my damn computer if it ever decides to pull another stunt like that again. shakes fist at computer Ass.

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Author's Note: Here is the second part of my double post. Enjoy!

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Squall sat bolt upright in his bed, his heart pounding, and the sound of screams still reverberating in his head. His shirt was soaked with sweat, the sheets torn loose from the bed, the wave mattress still bobbing crazily beneath him. Tiredly, he brushed back his damp hair from his forehead and leaned against the headboard. _Fuck, when will these fucking dreams stop already? _It had been five years since the accident, but still his sleep was plagued with nightmares. Long after he'd come to terms with his loss, his ears continued to be haunted by grotesque sounds. The high-pitched banshee shriek of the brakes, the crunch of metal, and the terrified screams of the bystanders, of himself, of Seifer, of Rinoa. Countless times he'd awakened in mortal terror, after reliving the accident over and over each night in his sleep. _One of these days I'm going to go crazy, _he thought with certainty. His eyes fell on the bottle of prescription sleeping pills he kept on his nightstand and he frowned. The pills were both a blessing and a curse. When taken, they brought him sweet oblivion, a dreamless sleep that blanketed him in the dark like a night without stars. Unfortunately, they drowned out all outside interference, including his well-meaning alarm clock. This made it a bad idea for him to use the pills during the week, instead he had decided to save the treat of deep sleep for the weekend only. Of course, his dreams didn't give a damn about his busy work week, and visited him whenever they saw fit. _Lucky me._

He glanced at his alarm clock and saw that it was almost four in the morning. _Fuck it. I have to get up in an hour anyway. This night is pretty much shot_. Groaning with disgust, he kicked away the remnants of his sheets and climbed out of bed. His stomach rumbled and he remembered that he'd gone to sleep without eating dinner. Having a full stomach only made the dreams worse, adding an element of late night b-movie horror. Instead of merely being thrown through the windshield, Rinoa might turn toward him, her beautiful face replaced by a gruesome clown mask, her small hands transformed into hairy tentacles, reaching to snatch out his eyes. That was an extra special touch that Squall definitely did not need, and he always refused to eat after midnight. _But, I might as well eat something now._ He pushed his bedroom door open, his eyes blinded by the sudden light that flooded his vision. _Light?! What the hell?! Strife… _Growling, he blinked several times before rubbing at his eyes and making his way down the hallway. The smell of pizza reached his nose and his stomach responded enthusiastically. Rounding the corner, he could see his best friend and former roommate perched on a stool at the kitchen counter, an open pizza box in front of him. Squall sighed and clapped a hand to his forehead in agitation. "Cloud Strife, please remind me, why haven't I beaten you down and taken that key from you, yet?"

Cloud looked back at him, one blond eyebrow raised in challenge. "Probably because you know you'd get your ass kicked."

"Cute." Squall remarked dryly, and then lunged across the room at him, with speed that no one who'd just woken up should ever possess.

Startled, Cloud toppled backwards off the stool, his back hitting the linoleum floor with a loud thud, his head following soon after. He saw a few stars and groaned in pain and irritation. "Goddammit, Squall Leonhart. That shit was not funny."

Squall calmly claimed the stool for his own, and helped himself to a slice of pizza. "You didn't like my joke?"

Cloud pulled himself to a sitting position and glared back at his friend. "I never like your jokes."

"Shouldn't be so jumpy then." Squall chewed the slice thoughtfully, a disapproving expression on his face. "Ham and pineapple, huh? You're a nasty man, Cloud Strife." Nevertheless, he helped himself to another slice.

Cloud climbed to his feet and pulled another stool over to the counter. "If it's so nasty, then why are you still eating it?"

"Because I'm hungry." Squall answered matter-of-factly. A third slice rapidly went the way of the first two.

"I can see that." Cloud replied, and reached for the pizza box, scowling when Squall slapped his hands away. "Come on! I'm the one who bought the pizza in the first place. What are you doing awake, anyway? Don't you have to go to work in a couple of hours?"

Squall finished his fourth slice and relinquished the depleted pizza box to Cloud. "I had a nightmare." he said quietly.

"I guess I kind of figured that." Cloud said, finishing off the last of the pizza. "You look like Hell, plus I heard you thrashing around in there."

"Why didn't you come and wake me up, then?" asked Squall irritably.

"Shit, I remember what happened the last time I touched you while you were having one of your fits." Cloud said, defensively. "You threw me across the room like a rag doll."

"But I woke up, didn't I? It was a noble sacrifice on your part." Squall half-heartedly argued, as he went over to the fridge and took out a couple of Cokes. Tossing one to Cloud, he settled back down on his stool. He took a deep swig, appreciating the way the fizzle of the caffeine mixed with the coldness of the drink. _The simplest things make me feel alive. Make me feel lucky to be alive. _Sighing, he happened to catch a sideways glimpse of Cloud, who was watching him closely, concern evident in his large blue eyes. Squall immediately looked away, uncomfortably reminded of a time when he'd thought he was in love with his best friend. It had been soon after he'd moved in with him, about three years after the accident. After several failed attempts at winning Cloud over, he'd come to realize that what he'd felt was nothing more than a deep bond to another human being, something he hadn't felt since Rinoa died, and something he never thought he'd feel again. Still, when Cloud looked at him like that, it gave him the creeps. _Where else have I seen eyes so incredibly blue?_

"Hey, Earth to Squall?" Cloud called, poking him in the ribs. "Are you alright, Leonhart? You kind of zoned out there for a minute."

"Yeah," Squall answered, distractedly. "I was just thinking." _Blue eyes… Who else do I know with blue eyes?_

"Hopefully not about how much you love me." Cloud muttered into his Coke can.

Immediately Squall flushed and spun around, glaring. "In your dreams, Strife!"

Cloud smirked, his taunt drawing the desired reaction from Squall. "It happened once, it can happen again."

"It won't. I assure you." Squall responded, with finality. He took another swig of soda, feeling extremely embarrassed as he usually did when Cloud starting throwing ancient history in his face. _That jerk is always bringing that shit up. I swear he just wants to get a rise out of me. _"I didn't even really love you then. I was just confused." he explained in a defensive tone. "Anyway, those days are over."

"They'd better be." Cloud agreed. "Or I'll tell Aerith, and she'll come and give you such a stern talking to, young man…"

Squall rolled his eyes at the thought. Cloud's girlfriend would probably do just that. She was far too soft for physical violence. Yet, she possessed such a gentle, trusting nature that Squall couldn't help but like her. It was so rare to meet a genuinely sweet person. _To think, he found her working in a flower shop, of all places._ He never asked his friend what he was doing in a flower shop, and Cloud damn sure never told him. _Shame that Cloud met her first_. Still, he knew it really didn't matter. Aerith wasn't his type. He looked at Cloud with dawning suspicion. "Speaking of the flower girl, what are you doing here? Why aren't you over her place? Or better yet, over your place?"

"Well," began Cloud. "That is to say that I, um… It's kind of complicated, you see…"

Squall nodded, a smug expression on his face. "I see. You fucked up, didn't you? You're hiding."

"I am not hiding!" Cloud argued, indignantly. "I am just making myself a bit scarce, is all."

Squall smirked. "I'll bet. So tell me, what did you do this time?" He finished off his soda and tossed the can in the trash. Glancing at the microwave he saw that it was now a little after five.

"I didn't do anything." Cloud insisted. "It's just that, well, she's going on a bible retreat this weekend." He shuddered. "And she wants me to go with her. So I'm hiding, okay, yes. I'm hiding until she leaves tonight."

"Okay, big man. Why don't you just tell her that you don't want to go?" Squall suggested. "You're twenty-four, and you can't stand up for yourself?"

"You think I didn't already try that? I did." Cloud complained. "It's just that, when she looks at me in that way of hers, I have a hard time telling her no." He finished his own Coke, and went on. "I love Aerith, really I do. But sometimes I wish she wasn't so damn… religious."

Squall tsked, shaking his head. "Shame on you, Strife. When you love someone, you're supposed to love everything about them. Not just their sparkling green eyes, and flowing red hair..."

"I think you've been looking a little too hard at my girlfriend, Leonhart." Cloud interrupted.

Squall waved a hand dismissively at him. "Don't be a jackass. You know that if I wanted her, I would've taken her from you a long time ago."

Cloud bristled and got ready to respond, but a finger on his lips silenced him.

"Besides," Squall continued in a low voice. "I like you better anyway." He leaned in as if to kiss his friend.

Cloud squawked and fell backwards off his stool. This time he hit the floor head first, and he saw a whole damn universe. "Oh man… Fuck you, Leonhart."

"Not today, Strife. Not today." Squall stood up, and crushed the pizza box, before tossing it into the trash along with Cloud's empty soda can. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a shower. Try not to drown in your own stupidity in my absence." He staunchly ignored the double middle fingers Cloud was giving him from his place on the floor, as he walked back to down the hallway to his bathroom.

Closing the door, he stripped out of his night clothes, meticulously placing them in the hamper beside the door. Cloud called him a neat-freak, but he didn't care. Cloud's slovenly habits were one reason why they'd put an end to the roommate arrangement, Squall's nightmares were another. The final straw had been Aerith, of course. It just irked Squall a little too much to see two people so obviously perfect for one another. It called too strongly to the ghosts of his own past. He absently brushed his fingers across the scar on his face, the only tangible reminder he still had that the accident had ever even happened.

Shaking his head, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting the knobs. When it got as hot as he could stand, he took his soap from the side tray and lathered up, starting with his hair and working his way down. As he soaped, it suddenly came to him. _Sora. _He was the only person other than Cloud who had eyes that reminded him of travel brochures. _Travel to exotic locations, _they said, and displayed pictures of Fiji, Tahiti, or Costa Rica. All of the pictures showed white sand beaches and dazzling oceans, the water so invitingly clean, fresh, and blue, it almost made you think you could afford to visit those places. Both Cloud and Sora had eyes like that. _But I like Sora's better, _he thought, and flushed. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Squall rinsed off, and began to lather up again, his usual routine. _That was unacceptable. I don't even know him that well. _Squall had spent a total of eight hours around the person who had quickly become his favorite student. Four hours in class, and another four hours in detention. _How ironic. I thought you were supposed to give detention to the students you didn't like_. For four days he'd been spending time after school just conversing with Sora, while he did his homework, or swept the floor, or cleaned the board. He'd soon realized that Sora had a brilliant mind for one so young, and a maturity beyond his years. Listening to Sora talk excitedly about his mom and cousin, about his best friends, and about how he planned to go to medical school and become a doctor, he'd felt a sense of peace that he rarely knew. It was unsettling really, the way his whole demeanor changed around Sora, his usual coldness transformed into a rare warmth that he only ever showed to people he'd known for a long time. Somehow, Sora had instantly gotten past his defenses without even trying, his blend of intelligence and youthful naïveté lulling Squall into a restful calm. _This kid is really something, _he often thought. Only when he caught Sora looking at him in that strangely erotic way, did his thoughts turn toward the inappropriate. _Not to mention, the illegal and downright ridiculous. Besides, he doesn't know what he's doing when he looks at me like that. He probably has a little girlfriend somewhere_. Yet, somehow, he doubted that. Despite Sora's easygoing and talkative nature, there was one subject on which he'd remained tightlipped. His friend Riku rarely ever made it into conversation, and that was only if Squall happened to mention him. He didn't know why he even brought the kid up, he already liked him less than Tidus… except that he was dying to know the true nature of his relationship with Sora. If the student rumors were to be believed, Riku was quite the lover-boy. For some reason the idea of him being with Sora bothered Squall, and he wanted to be reassured that such was not the case. It was assurance that was slow in coming.

__

Well, it's Friday, at least, but for some reason the thought brought him little joy. Squall found it mildly disturbing that he was dreading this last day of the week, as it would be the end of his detentions with Sora. He told himself that it was because he would miss the conversation, the easy bantering back and forth, and the enjoyment of being around someone who was not a complete moron. _It is all of that, but it's something else. _It was also the way Sora had, of pausing between sentences and fixing Squall with a look that went straight to the core of him, an undeniable purpose resting languidly in the arch of his eyebrows, in the curve of his lips. At the center of it all, those ocean blue eyes, rimmed with sooty dark lashes, calling him to come away, to perhaps the most exotic place of them all. In those instances, time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Squall felt like he was being drawn to a sea of sensuous hedonism, in which he would gladly drown, if given half the chance.

Squall felt his face redden at the nature of his thoughts, and groaned with embarrassment when he realized that his body had enthusiastically agreed with his assessment of Sora. Quickly, he wrenched the shower knob counter-clock wise, changing the spray of the water from scalding to freezing. "I'm too old for this shit." he muttered.

When he arrived at the high school two hours later, he was as always, struck by the placidity of the neighborhood. They call New York the city that never sleeps, but Utopia was the town that was never awake. _Granted, it is seven in the morning, but still… _Squall knew that even during the afternoon, the suburban part of the town was sluggish, the residents irritatingly cheerful and sheltered. It was enough to make him very glad that he lived downtown, and only had to come this way for work. _And who the hell was corny enough to actually name a place Utopia? I'd like to give the founding father a good kick in the ass._

He slowed his motorcycle as he entered the parking lot, artfully bringing it to a stop in his designated parking space. He dismounted, and smirked inwardly, fondly remembering the stunned faces of his fellow teachers as they'd first seen just how he was getting to work every day. "You ride that thing?!" one particularly annoying Biology teacher had exclaimed, her brown eyes wide behind tortoiseshell glasses. He had been tempted to tell her that there was a word to describe people who asked stupid questions like hers, but that sort of language wasn't suitable in school. Still, he knew she couldn't help it. His bike always intimidated people. It was a hulking machine creation of high-gloss black, and twisted chrome. He'd fallen in love with it the moment he saw it.

Cloud on the other hand had been less than enthusiastic when he brought it back to the apartment. "Let me get this straight," Cloud had said to him. "That… beast, is supposed to make you feel safer than riding in a car, how?" Squall had tried to explain it to him the best he could, but Cloud had merely looked at him like he was an idiot, remarked "I hope your life insurance is paid up." and let the subject drop.

In the end, the motorcycle had earned him brownie points with the female teachers. For some reason that got on his nerves, and their coy flirtatiousness didn't help. If he heard one more grown woman coo, "Can I touch it?" with feigned wide-eyed innocence as if the double entendre was completely unintentional, he was going to scream. _It's just because I'm new, that's all. Give them a couple of weeks, and they'll lose interest. _But he didn't believe it. Women had always flocked to him in droves, and he knew it was more his looks than anything else.

__

I'll probably never date another one, he thought, then rolled his eyes. _Good God, why am I thinking like an angst-filled twelve year old? What could've put me in such a stinker of a mood this early?_ Then he remembered his little episode in the shower and groaned. _That. _So depriving his body of what it had so obviously wanted wasn't the best of ideas, but still. _I was not about to do that, while thinking about one of my students. It would've been indecent. _Indecent or not, his hormones sought to punish him for his impudence, by sending his mood crashing down.

He sighed as he entered the school building, and smoothed his disheveled hair, not wishing to start his day off this way. _I could always go down to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee, _he mused, but then quickly nixed the thought. That would put him in just the right location for all the female faculty members to sexually harass. Instead he headed directly to the main office.

"Good morning,." Aurora, the office secretary, greeted him. Her blue eyes gave him thorough look over, all in the space of a few seconds. "It's Squall, right?"

Squall conquered the urge to shudder, and merely gave her an acknowledging nod as he passed, all the while pissed at her boldness. "Why is everybody here so goddamn unprofessional?!" he grumbled to himself. _That's pretty funny coming from a man who was thinking about one of his students in the shower this morning, _his mind replied flippantly. He scowled as he punched his time card. Hastily, he passed back the way he came, hoping to avoid Aurora altogether. He made it all the way to the door.

"So Squall," she called to his retreating back. "If you're not doing anything this weekend…"

"I can't." he replied without turning around. "I already have plans." _Yeah, I have to dope up on sleeping pills and pass out, but I'm sure that a date with you would have about the same effect. _"Sorry."

The disappointment was evident in her voice. "Aww… That's too bad. Maybe another time, then."

"Maybe." Squall answered noncommittally as he left the office. When the door closed behind him, he scoffed. _Please. I'm not that desperate. _Quickly, he made his way to his classroom, hoping that he would not run into any more amorous female co-workers before he reached his destination. Turning the corner, he saw a figure leaned up against the classroom door and felt like screaming. _For fuck's sake, are they going to start laying in wait for me behind the bushes outside, too_?! "Can I help you?" he asked with barely concealed irritation.

Sora turned and looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "Hey. I needed to talk to you about something." _Come away, _the eyes said.

Squall suddenly felt as if the bottom had dropped out from underneath him, and he was tumbling down into a pit of nothingness. He pointedly looked at his watch until the feeling of vertigo passed, and then spoke. "At seven fifteen in the morning?"

Sora shifted anxiously and nodded. "Yeah."

Squall rubbed his eyes, and walked over to the door. "Alright. Just let me sit down first." He inserted the key into the doorknob, and turned it, hearing the tumblers click. He pushed the door open and held it for Sora who walked in behind him and cut on the lights. _What the hell could he want with me this early in the morning_? Crossing around behind his desk, he set his bag on the floor, pulled out his chair and sat down. He looked back at Sora, one eyebrow raised. "Well?"

Sora sighed and sat down on the edge of his own desk. "I know I have detention after school today, but I was sort of hoping that you would let me serve it before school instead? Or if not, then let me finish it on Monday?"

Squall blinked, confused. "Well that's an interesting proposition, Sora, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to hear the reasoning behind it before I decide, one way or the other."

Sora made a face as if that was the last thing he wanted to explain, but spoke anyway. "It's like this. Riku is going out of town for the weekend, and he's leaving this evening."

"Is he going to a bible retreat?" Squall interrupted.

Sora stared at him. "No… Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Squall answered, slightly embarrassed. "Please continue."

Sora's face took on a look of frustrated confusion. "Well, he's been acting sort of funny all this week. He's never at lunch, he's never home when I call, and then he always seems out of it in class. I can't even get words that make sense out of him."

Squall nodded. He had noticed Riku's lethargic behavior, as well. _I'll bet I know what's causing it, too._

Sora continued. "And I just wanted a chance to stop by his house and talk to him before he left for the weekend. You know, to see what's wrong. I'm kind of worried about him." He looked at Squall, his expression pleading.

Squall faltered. "I don't know, Sora. If I let you do that now, then the other students might not take me seriously." _Like that's even an issue._

Sora stood up. "I know, but still… I really need to talk to him." His eyes shone with honest determination. "And I swear that I'll make up the detention, whenever you say so."

Squall paused and regarded his pupil with something akin to awe. He remembered Cloud telling him that when Aerith looked at him a certain way he had a hard time telling her no. _Is it anything like this? I think it is_. He knew then that he would excuse Sora from his detention, even though it would make his own afternoon considerably duller. _At least Riku will be getting some good out of this_, he thought, somewhat bitterly. Finally, he nodded. "Alright Sora. You are excused from this afternoon's detention."

Sora sat back down on the edge of his desk, relief evident in his face. "Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it." Squall replied, casually. "You didn't really deserve it anyway. I probably should've given it to Riku from the start."

Sora scowled, and Squall was stunned to see such a dark look pass across that innocent face. "No, I don't think so." he said. "He probably would've just skipped it. Besides," he continued, his scowl replaced by a look that was almost shy. "I enjoyed it. You're pretty cool to talk to."

Squall snickered at being called cool. "I'm glad you had fun, but I always thought detention was supposed to be a punishment."

"That's what I thought too," Sora agreed. "So, when do I make up my hour?"

"I guess you're making it up right now." Squall answered, and then shrugged. "Although actually, I probably would've just let you go without making it up. I'll bet you wish you'd stayed in bed now, don't you?"

Sora shook his head. "Not really." He turned toward Squall, and suddenly the look was there, en force. _Come away…_

Squall swallowed hard, and looked away, remembering that he had food in his bag. He'd quietly packed a small breakfast while Cloud proceeded to go to sleep on his expensive leather sofa. Now he leaned over, and unzipped his bag, taking out his meal, which consisted of a bagel, a banana, and a small bottle of orange juice. He set the items on the desk, pointedly ignoring Sora until he saw a shadow fall over his desk. Looking up with trepidation, he saw that Sora was practically hovering over him. "Yes?!" he damn near squeaked.

"You have a bagel." It was a statement, not a question.

Squall was eerily reminded of a huge gray tomcat named Archimedes, he'd had back in junior high school. Whenever he was eating something that it wanted, it had an annoying habit of running up to him, it's pupils dilated to the point where it was just plain weird. Sora was looking at him like that now, and he had half a mind to throw the bagel across the room, just to see if he'd chase it like Archimedes always did. Instead he squashed the crazy urge, and leaned casually back in his chair. "So I do."

Sora frowned at him. "My mom always says that caring is sharing, you know."

Squall smirked. "Well, my mom always said that stingy people get the most."

Sora's jaw dropped. "She did not!"

Squall shrugged and broke the bagel in half. Handing a piece to Sora, he replied, "I don't know if she did or not, really. I don't remember her." He took a bite of his half and chewed it slowly. "She and my father were killed in a plane crash when I was still a toddler."

Sora sat back on the edge of his desk, a stricken expression on his face. "That's terrible…"

Squall shrugged. "Yeah, it is. But I wouldn't even remember what they looked like, if it weren't for the pictures, so I suppose I can't feel too bad. But growing up, and seeing how many of the other kids my age took their parents for granted…" He grimaced. "It pissed me off. So you can imagine, I was pissed off a lot as a teenager."

"I'll bet." Sora murmured. "Who raised you, since your parents were gone?" He ate the bagel, his eyes questioning.

"A man named Cid Highwind." Squall answered, knowing that Sora would be familiar with the name.

"You know Coach Cid?" Sora asked in disbelief. All of the students had been upset when Mr. Highwind had retired two years before. Even though he was incredibly foul-mouthed, he was much loved by everyone. _Tidus even cried, _he remembered.

"Cid was my legal guardian." Squall explained. "He's also the one that got me this job here."

"Oh…" said Sora. "What's he doing now, anyway?"

Squall peeled his banana, and took a bite. "Well, he owned an auto repair and parts shop, even while he was a coach here. Once he retired, he went back to work at it full time. The shop is where I worked before I came here."

"So what made you decide to become a teacher?" Sora asked.

Squall smirked. "Insufficient funds." _No one's ever asked me that. Then again, I haven't been teaching that long. _"I got tired of my credit cards always saying 'Decline,' whenever I tried to buy something."

Sora grinned. "That's why anybody ever does anything. But I mean, you seem pretty smart, despite what some of the students say."

"Thanks ever so much." interrupted Squall, in a sarcastically sweet tone. _Now I'm letting him take shots at me? Hell…_

Sora suppressed a giggle as he continued. "So, I would think that you could've found a job that you would've actually liked."

"Wait a minute, I never said I didn't like this job." Squall protested. _Well, I don't really, but you're not supposed to know that._

"Oh come on. You don't have to say it." Sora argued. "You practically ooze it out of your pores.

Squall rolled his eyes. "That was somewhat short of disgusting, Sora. In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to eat, here."

"Yeah, yeah. But I'll bet you can't think of one good thing you like about this job." Sora challenged, leaning forward.

Squall watched him, apprehensively. "If you don't quit leaning forward, you're going to fall right off that desk, and smack your head on the floor like another fellow I know did earlier this morning. In my very own kitchen, in fact."

Sora's eyes narrowed briefly and then returned to normal. "Who?"

__

Was that jealousy, I just saw?! Squall looked at Sora warily, before answering. "My best friend, who is also Cid's nephew." He finished his banana, and rolled up the peel. "But yes, you will fall, and you will hit your head, and I will laugh. Believe this." He pushed the peel forward. "Here you go. Put this in the trash for me, so I don't end up scooping your brains back into your head."

"Now's who's being disgusting?" asked Sora, standing up. He took the peel and walked over to the trash can, dropping it in, and quickly returning to his spot on the edge of the desk.

"Sora," began Squall warningly.

Immediately Sora got down off the desk, and pulled his chair around instead. Sitting down, he fixed Squall with a look of mild annoyance. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" asked Squall, taking a swig of his orange juice.

Sora sighed as though Squall had committed some grave social faux-pas. He looked dejectedly at the clock. Soon the other students would arrive and this magical quiet hour he was having would come to an end. "I asked you if there was anything about this job that you actually liked." he said softly.

Squall raised an eyebrow, and folded his hands in his lap. _He's practically fishing for compliments. _For some reason, it didn't irk him like it would if anyone else had done it. _Fuck it, anyone that can get on my good side as quickly as he did deserves a few compliments. _"I like you." Squall replied simply.

Sora looked up, as suddenly as if a buzzer had gone off. His eyes were intense. "I like you too." he spoke quietly.

Squall was caught again, time stretching out into eternity, and all that he could see was ocean blue, stretching out before him like a blanket to roll up in. _Whoa. _With no little effort, he stood, averting his eyes to the wall clock. "Class is going to start in a little bit. If you want to get something from the vending machine, or need to use the bathroom, I suggest you do it now." He moved quickly to the door, needing to get out, before his morality suffered another gut punch.

Sora was on his feet in an instant, a pained expression on his face. "Don't."

Squall turned. "Don't what?" _Please, just let me leave, before I think something I'll regret. _He remembered mad snatches of some long-ago philosophy class. Something about how once abstract ideas form coherent thought, that it's only a matter of time before they are translated into action. _If you can dream it, you can achieve it, _he thought, wanting to laugh more than anything, but knowing that Sora would probably take it the wrong way.

"Don't talk to me like that." Sora pleaded. "Like you're just my teacher or something."

"I am your teacher." Squall said firmly. _Famous last words, I'll bet._

"I thought you were my friend." Sora countered, eyes flashing.

Squall looked at him for a long moment, again remembering what Cloud had said about Aerith. _Yeah, I'll bet it really is a lot like this. _"Yes, Sora," he conceded, the words making him feel as though he was at the beginning of the end. "I am your friend."

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Notes: I laughed so hard when I was writing this. I mean, I love Cloud Strife, but the idea of him smacking his head on a kitchen floor is just so wrong… And yet, so right.

Riku: Excuse me, but who the hell does Leonhart think he is, thinking about my Sora that way? I swear I'll slap the taste out of his mouth!

mushes Riku in the face Anyway… I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing and for being so patient. Predictably enough, my computer decided to pitch _another_ fit. mutters expletives Luckily, I was able to use the system restore disc to fix it without having to reformat. Yet. It's like I always said, the only good computer is a dead computer.

Computer: gulps

Riku: That didn't make any sense!

Grr… You're just mad because you weren't in this chapter.

Riku: Damn right, I am! I'm cool, I'm feisty, and I'm dead sexy. I demand that you treat me with the respect and attention I deserve.

nods Okay, no problem. dropkicks Riku over the horizon There ya go.

Riku: fading Biiiiiitccchhhh

Squall: holds up a scorecard I'd have to give that a ten. Perfect form.


	9. Peace Offering

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I don't own shit! I just got back from Otakon, and I spent all, and I do mean _all_ of my money.

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Author's Note: This chapter contains a twist of lime and a hint of lemon. Obey your thirst. Oh, and I haven't been able to access my e-mail for a bit, so if anyone sent me anything, I'm not ignoring you, I just can't get to it yet. (sobs)

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Sora tugged a little at his sleeves, already noticing the change in the weather since last week. The air was just beginning to get that chill that made him truly appreciate the warmth of the sun as it beamed down on him while he walked. It wouldn't be long until he'd have to wear a jacket, and from there, his huge winter coat that his mom had insisted on buying him even though it made him feel like a polar bear with all it's fur.

Once school had been dismissed, he'd felt a pang of disappointment that he no longer had to go to detention. Leaving the building hadn't held the same joy that it usually did for him, and he'd unconsciously glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his English teacher before he left for the day. He had really wanted to stay, but his sense of urgency at needing to talk to Riku had only grown, since his friend hadn't even bothered to show up at all. Sora had been unable to get a hold of him on the phone, no matter how often he tried, and he was worried that he might've gotten into something serious. So ditching his detention was a necessary sacrifice if he was going to catch Riku before he left for the weekend.

Still… He couldn't get Squall Leonhart out of his mind, and he'd come to accept that he was somewhat infatuated with his teacher. He knew that he wasn't the only one, there were countless times where he'd caught another student's eyes lingering a little too long on the enigmatic man during quiet reading time, their thoughts obviously not concerned with the text. He had even picked up on the way the female teachers deferred to Squall, with batting eyelashes, honey-toned voices, and sly smiles. The one thing that he noticed the most was the fact that Squall would have none of it. He guarded himself religiously, maintaining a strictly business demeanor that was disinterested, if not outright cold. Sora distinctly remembered overhearing that Squall Leonhart had all the social skills and human friendliness of a corpse, and had to bite his tongue to keep from giving the commenter a piece of his mind. He resented the things people said about Squall, but at the same time, he knew that it was true. Squall projected the image of an iceberg to everyone he interacted with.

Except me…Sora grinned, realizing how pleased he was with the knowledge. _I'm not even sure what I did or said to make him treat me differently, but I'm glad I did it._ Squall was like a locked box, to which only he had the key. The thought filled him with a possessive joy, and fanned the flames of his crush. _He said that he likes me. I know he doesn't mean it in that way, but… _He knew that Squall's statement indicated nothing more than a teacher's admiration for a particularly bright pupil. _Still, I can dream, can't I?_

He could smell the scent of burning firewood as he walked, absently reflecting on his conversations during detention. Although Sora had told his teacher a lot about himself, and Squall had encouraged him and shared his own tidbits, he still withheld enough to leave Sora wondering what type of man Squall was in his private life. _What sorts of things does he like? What does he hate? What is he afraid of? What does he dream about? Does he have a girlfriend… or a boyfriend?_ Sora felt his face flame at the thought, and quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching. When he realized that the cars driving down the street were his only company, he let out a breath and felt quite stupid. _Alright, now I know I'm going nuts._ He could see the street Riku lived on, and quickened his pace, feeling somewhat guilty for thinking about Squall the entire way over. _I should've been thinking about Riku, but I couldn't help it._

Sora was somewhat shocked to see Lillian's sky blue Dodge Neon parked in the driveway, but didn't think much of it, as she often carpooled to cut down on gas expenses. He edged around the car, not wanting to fall into the azalea bushes that lined both sides of the drive, and stepped onto the sidewalk. A sense of nervousness overtook him when he reached the door, and his hand hesitated in midair. _Maybe I should've thought over what I was going to say before I came by. But I guess, I didn't really have the time. _Resigned, he knocked, and stepped back slightly when he heard footsteps approaching.

Lillian answered the door, after peeking through the blinds to see who it was. She smiled at Sora warmly, her pale blue eyes shining with excitement. "Hello Sora. It's always good to see you. Come to see Riku off?"

Sora nodded, mildly perplexed as to why Riku hadn't answered the door himself. "Yeah. I'm a little surprised to see you at home, though. Anything going on?"

Lillian laughed, a sound that Sora had always liked, as far back as he could remember. "It's that obvious? Well, Riku isn't the only one going on a little trip. I'm going to a retreat with some friends for the weekend, and so I took off early today in order to get everything ready."

Sora grinned. "Cool! So both of you have stuff to do. Too bad I'm going to be stuck at home this weekend, doing nothing."

Lillian smiled at him knowingly. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find something to get into. I know you're not as innocent as you look."

"Hey," protested Sora, in mock anger.

"Just teasing!" Lillian amended, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in! I suspect Riku is asleep, or he would've trampled me to get to the door and let you in himself." She stepped aside to allow Sora to enter, and closed the door once he'd passed.

"If he's sleeping, maybe I shouldn't bother him." Sora offered.

"Nonsense." replied Lillian, dismissively. "He needs to be awake now anyway, so that he can be packed and ready when his father arrives. So, somebody has to wake him up." She gave Sora another knowing smile. "And better you than me. He's less likely to snap at you."

Sora fought and managed to keep his cheeks from turning pink. "If you say so. I'll go on up then." He crossed the living room, and started up the stairs. Usually he felt so at home in Riku's house, the cozy décor reminding him so much of his own, only Sonja's warm reds and browns were replaced by Lillian's cool blues and greens. But today he felt anxious, no doubt because he hadn't truly spoken to Riku since Monday, and that was odd for them. _Well, whatever it is, I'll find out today. _He saw Riku's door at the end of the blue-carpeted hallway, and figured that it must be locked. When he tried the knob, however, it turned easily in his hand, and he saw that Riku was indeed sleeping.

Riku lay on his back under his teal satin comforter, with only his face showing. His chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his breathing, and Sora felt the urge to tiptoe back downstairs, but he knew that Riku's mom would just send him right back up. Feeling a little bad about ruining such a peaceful scene, he closed the door behind himself and walked over to where Riku lay, sitting down on the bed. Gently, he shook Riku awake.

Riku's eyes opened slowly, blinking several times. "Wha?" When they focused on Sora, Riku lifted a hand and rubbed at them, before blinking again. "Sora? Are you really here?"

Sora grinned, thinking how cute it was to see Riku all disorientated like this. "Yeah, I'm really here."

Riku blinked again, somewhat unconvinced. "Oh. It's just that I always dream that I'll wake up to see you looking down at me." He pinched himself.

Sora felt slightly flustered by Riku's unabashed confession, and tried to think of a suitable response. "Well, it's not a dream… Ow! Hey! What'd you pinch **me** for?"

"Just making sure." Riku answered, with a smirk. He sat up slowly, pushing away the comforter and scooting back against the pillows. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What time is it?"

Sora glanced at his watch. "It's a little after three. Have you been sleeping all day?"

Riku yawned again, and nodded. "Yeah. I've been sleeping since I got in last night. But it feels like I didn't get any rest at all." He stretched, his arms rising high over him in a graceful arc, lifting his shirt and revealing the waistband of his boxers, before dropping to rest at his sides. "Hopefully I can get some rest over Dad's house, and he won't bug the shit out of me all weekend, but I doubt it."

Sora's brows furrowed. "Where were you last night anyway? I called, but nobody answered."

"I was out." Riku answered easily. "What, I'm not allowed to have a life?"

"But you were gone every night this week!" Sora protested, embarrassed at the way he sounded. _I'm practically whining! I came over here to talk to him, not nag like a housewife or something! _"Even Monday, when you told me to call you. I don't care how cool you are, nobody has a life on a Monday night! But you were never home, and you even skipped school today…"

"Hold up," started Riku, defensively. _He's got his nerve, getting in my business like this…I thought I only had **one** mom._ He sat up fully, and fixed Sora with a look that usually made the other students haul ass when they saw it. It was the expression that warned you of the dangerous ground you were treading on. "I didn't realize I was under investigation here. I haven't committed any crimes. What are you? My fucking parole officer?" he snapped.

"I'm your best friend!" Sora shot back, frustrated. "God, why are you so angry at me? I just asked a question, and I can't believe we're having a fight over this!" He turned his back, upset and feeling dangerously close to tears. Riku had never yelled at him before for asking a simple question. Riku hardly ever even raised his voice at him for anything. The whole thing made him uneasy, and his eyes began to sting. _Why do I have to be so damn sensitive?_ he thought, swiping at his eyes with the back of one hand.

"Sora," Riku began, hesitantly. _Oh shit, I didn't mean to start a fight with him. _"Hey man, are you crying?"

"No." Sora snapped, his voice muffled. He didn't turn around.

Riku scooted forward and placed a hand on Sora's back. "Hey, don't get so bent out of shape. I didn't mean to bark at you like that, I'm just tired and cranky." He rubbed Sora's back, feeling very low. "And I'm glad you came over, although I don't know why you did."

"I was worried about you." Sora mumbled, still not turning around. _I feel like such a baby for crying like that, but at least we're not fighting anymore_. Slowly, he turned around and looked at his friend. "It's like I said, you're never home, you don't talk to me at school, and you and I always talk to each other. We tell each other everything." This wasn't entirely true, he was keeping his own little secret from Riku as well. _But my secret is just a harmless crush, it isn't hurting our friendship or anything. _"I mean come on, Riku. We've known each other forever. What's going on?"

Withdrawing his hand, Riku laid back onto the bed, his head resting on a pillow. He sighed heavily, and shook his head. "You wouldn't really understand, Sora."

Sora gaped at him. "Are you on drugs?!" _I hope Riku's not on drugs, because then he'll have to go to rehab, or jail, or worse, and then where will I be? _"Riku?"

Riku laughed dryly. "Some people would say sex is a drug, I guess."

"I don't understand." Sora said, confused. _What on earth is he talking about?_

"It's Jake." Riku said with a note of disgust that made Sora uneasy. He sighed again. "Jake Addison."

Sora blinked. "Okay…" he began hesitantly. "What about him?" An emotion that was uncomfortably close to jealousy began to swirl up within him. _Oh man, don't tell me that Riku is falling for him._

Riku rolled onto his back, trying to find the words. Finally, he rejected all of them and folded his arms behind his head. "I've been seeing him." he said simply.

Sora felt a jolt of pain at the declaration, although he didn't understand why. _Why do I care? _Not really wanting to talk about Jake, but knowing Riku needed to confide in him, he floundered for something suitable to say. "Well… I thought you were already done with that."

Riku sighed heavily and spoke with the pained resignation of someone who is explaining something complicated to a child. "It was supposed to be a one time thing. You know, I smash him once, and then I can add his name to the list of others that I've had. Just like always, I never go back for seconds. But then…" Riku's silver brows furrowed. "He started getting weird on me, and then… Monday night, he wanted me to come over, so I did… And I've been doing it every night since then. Even during the school day, actually."

Sora was aware of the hurt feeling coming back, stronger this time. _So that's why Riku hasn't been at lunch. How lucky for him_. "Wow." he managed.

"Wow is right. It's almost like he's addicted." Riku shook his head. "I don't how I'll ever get rid of him now. I think he might be getting attached to me or something."

Sora bristled, the mixture of hurt and jealousy taking over. "Gee Riku, you make it sound like you're doing him some kind of favor. You're not that good, no matter what you think. So just get over yourself already."

What the hell? Riku glanced up sharply. _He looks like he's really pissed. Not that he has anything to be mad about. I thought he'd be happy I wasn't all over him anymore. _He blew out a puff of air, causing his long bangs to lift up and resettle. _Whatever. _"Yeah, like you would even know, you prude." he muttered, rolling over.

Sora's anger dissipated, and a gnawing sense of disquiet arose within him. It was as though in Riku's gesture, he was turning his back on their friendship. Sora felt a sudden irrational fear that he was losing his best friend over this stupid thing with Jake. The thought of Riku not being there for him after all of the years they'd spent together frightened him greatly. He sighed. _Why is he even with Jake anyway? Why can't he just have some self-control like me? Then again, if it's me that he really wants, maybe if I just tried to see things from his point of view… What am I really thinking? _Swallowing hard, he summoned up the courage and spoke, the words sounding shaky to his ears. "You're right… I don't know. So… why don't you show me?"

Riku snorted, but didn't turn around. "Don't be an ass. What type of game are you playing at, Sora?"

The lack of hope in Riku's tone dampened Sora's spirits further, but he forced cheerfulness into his response. "I'm just saying, you're always talking about how good you are and stuff. Well I say, prove it."

Now Riku did roll over, and his aqua eyes were wary and questioning. "Sora," he began carefully. "Are you running a high fever? Did you fall and hit your head? Because you're not making any sense. What is it that you want?"

Sora took a deep breath. "You know… I want you to put the moves on me." _Not exactly, but I don't know what else to say._

Riku stared at him for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "The moves?!" _I never thought I'd see the day… _"And you… had the nerve… to ask **me**…. if **I **was on drugs." he said, between laughs. He rolled onto his back, his body shaking with the force of his laughter. "Holy shit…"

"Don't laugh." Sora pleaded, embarrassed by Riku's antics.

In response, Riku only laughed all the harder, kicking his legs as he did so. "I think… I'm going to laugh myself to death…" An image of the weasels from Who Framed Roger Rabbit popped into his head, and he was helpless, rolling from side to side, howling.

Sora's cheeks flamed. "I don't see what's so funny." he stammered, insulted. "I mean, don't you like me?"

Suddenly Riku did stop laughing. His humor faded quickly, as he stared at Sora, scrutinizing, looking for signs that he was joking. He found none. "You're really serious about this." he said at last. His heart picked up it's pace as he realized the implications of what his friend was telling him.

Sora nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, I think I am. I guess…" _I'm not even sure what I'm saying myself. _"I mean, you do like me, don't you?"

Like you? thought Riku. _I love you. _He averted his gaze. "Sora, you know how I feel, but I don't see how it would help anything." _Am I crazy? He practically gave me permission to grope him, and I'm making excuses?! Oh my God, what gives?! _His eyes returned to Sora, and he sighed. "Come on, man. I know the deal by now. I make a move on you, and you get disgusted and pull away, then I pitch a fit and throw you out on your ass. Is that about right?"

Sora knew that it was indeed a pretty fair representation of how it usually happened, but he didn't say that. What he said instead was, "And what if I don't pull away this time?"

Riku blinked. _He won't pull away? _"I don't believe you." he challenged. "You told me yourself, you're not attracted to guys. Not even me, despite my stunning good looks." he teased, trying to slow his pulse.

Sora briefly looked away, before turning back. _That was before I realized that I have a crush on our English teacher. _"I changed my mind." he said, softly. His own heartbeat was racing, and his mind was turning over all the possibilities that could arise from his behavior. _Is this really the right way to deal with the Jake situation? What if I do pull away? What if I can't help it? Riku would never talk to me again… But what if I don't pull away? What if I like it, and then what? _He licked his lips, expectantly. _I think I'll chance it._

Riku drew in a sharp breath, mesmerized. "You are out of your mind." _Still, I might not get another chance like this again. If he bolts, it won't be anything I'm not used to, anyway._ Hesitantly, he sat up, and drew closer to his friend. "Are you sure about this?"

Sora nodded firmly. "Yeah." _Of course I'm not sure, you fool! Oh my God, just do it before I lose my nerve_! "What, are you chickening out on me, Riku?" he taunted weakly.

Riku smirked. "Never." Not one to resist such a blatant challenge, he quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sora's, all of his fears melting with the contact. It took his senses an awkward moment to realize that his friend was not pulling away. _Oh, wow… _The knowledge caused his body temperature to increase, urging him to deepen the kiss.

Sora felt his own blood rushing through his veins, and closed his eyes. To his surprise, he felt no desire to pull away. Instead his body was answering to some siren call of Riku's, that he had previously been immune to. Without his knowledge, his hand had found its way to Riku's exposed thigh, grazing over the smooth flesh. When he felt his friend shudder against him, an unexplainable thrill coursed through him, and he brushed his tongue over his lips.

Riku growled low in his throat.

Somehow Sora found himself on his back, the delicious weight of Riku atop him. Warm hands were roaming under his shirt, seeming to be everywhere at once. Riku's lips pressed against him, his tongue twining hungrily with his own. It was like the feeling he got when Riku looked at him **that** way, only stronger. It was like the tingle he'd gotten from being pinned to the locker, only a thousand times worse. Hazily, he realized that it was lust.

Riku devoured the kiss, giving everything he had to it. Anything he'd ever done to Jake, to Selphie, to any of the random masses he'd touched, it was nothing compared to this. This was the only thing he'd ever wanted, the only thing he'd ever needed. _To hell with the rest._ Sora's skin was incredibly smooth, the friction between their bodies unbearable. He moved his lips to Sora's neck, enthralled by the way he arched beneath him. His hands abandoned their assault on Sora's chest, straying lower.

The sound of the zipper was terrifyingly loud against the silence and heavy breathing.

Sora yelped. "Riku?!"

Damn… I knew it was too good to be true. "Hmm?" he murmured against his neck.

"You're moving way too fast!" Sora squeaked, despite his body's enthusiastic protests to just shut up and let it happen. "I'm not quite ready for that." he said, apologetically.

Well, it's a start. Reluctantly, Riku sat up, his thighs straddling Sora's hips. "You're going to be the death of me." He ground his pelvis experimentally, smirking at the way Sora gasped and scratched at the sheets. "Still, you seem pretty ready to me." he teased.

"I know," Sora panted. "But still…oh… would you stop doing that?!"

"Nah." Riku teased, and began to move his hips in an insistent rhythm. "Why should I? Give me a good reason, and I'll stop. Maybe." _I don't even think I can stop._

Sora took in a sharp breath and let it out in a shuddering moan. "Because, if you don't stop…" He closed his eyes for a moment, before reopening them. "If you don't stop…"

Riku leaned down, his hips still moving, his lips inches from Sora's. "If I don't stop?" he whispered seductively.

"If you don't stop," Sora breathed. "You're going to have to change your sheets."

"Oh no." Riku whispered. "Wouldn't want to have to do that." He lowered his head, and bit Sora on the ear possessively. _You're all mine now. I don't know how it happened, and I don't care, because you're all I ever wanted. _"Mine." he purred against Sora's skin. He shivered when he felt Sora's hands come to rest on his hips, pulling him firmly against his body. This was the Sora he dreamed about, the one that he never thought he would find.

"Riku…"

It wasn't the first time Riku had heard his name said that way, but coming from Sora, it thrilled him like never before. _Fuck it, I practically own him now. I've waited too long for this. _He was about to throw caution to the wind and have at Sora, damn the consequences, but a series of sharp raps on his door cooled his ravenous spirit instantly. "Oh hell no…" he gritted. Fearfully, he turned his head and looked at Sora's wristwatch. "The fuck?!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Sora, still panting. He felt like he was barely even aware of his surroundings now.

"It's him." Riku hissed, and jumped off the bed. "He's early as hell, but it's him. Nobody else I know knocks like a fucking interrogation squad coming to take you off to be tortured." He ran his hands through his disheveled hair in an attempt to return it to a state of normalcy. _Goddamn that man to Hell! If he finds me like this with Sora… _He turned back to Sora as though just remembering what they'd been doing. "Don't just lay there with that 'fuck me' expression on your face! Get up! Move! Open the window for crying out loud." he whispered urgently.

Alarmed, Sora left the bed and obediently opened the window. The air that came in was colder than it had been when he had walked over, and he wondered if Riku's father might think them insane for having the window open on such a cool day. His mind returned to his thoughts as he'd left school. He'd been determined to resolve the weird situation between them somehow. _And I guess we did resolve it, after all._

The series of knocks repeated themselves, somewhat louder this time.

"Yeah?" Riku called, hoping to buy a little time. "You're kind of early, you know. What do you want?"

"You must have me confused with your mother, Riku. You know damn well that I do not converse through doors. Open up."

"Just a minute." Panicked, Riku shot a glance at Sora, who had quickly turned on the Sega Dreamcast, smartly keeping the volume on mute.

Intently, Sora steered Sonic the Hedgehog through a maze of rings, seemingly unconcerned with the drama unfolding around him. He doubted that Riku's father was unaware of his son's promiscuity, but somehow he knew that if it was suspected that he was included in Riku's exploits, it wouldn't go over too well.

Riku quickly restored the bed to a semblance of tidiness, knowing that his father would be suspicious if it was any less than perfect. They were both somewhat anal retentive when it came to cleaning. _Too bad it's not the only thing he's obsessed about, _Riku thought.

"Young man, if you do not open this door immediately, you will rue the day you first took breath into your body."

Time's up. Here goes nothing. Willing himself to act normal, Riku walked over to the door and opened it.

As always for Riku, it was like looking into a mirror and seeing himself twenty years from now. He was an almost exact copy of his father. The incandescent silver hair was his own, the eyes that were caught somewhere between blue and green, the slim yet muscular build, even the long lashes matched perfectly. The only difference was that Riku had inherited the paler complexion of his mother, and he still had yet to attain the full height that Sephiroth possessed.

Sephiroth still managed to look business-like in his gray turtleneck, and black slacks. Riku knew that even though his father was dressing down for him, the shirt alone probably cost more than the entire contents of his closet. "What is the meaning of this?" Sephiroth demanded. "Does it always take you an eon to open a door?"

"You're early." Riku said simply. "I wasn't expecting you until later."

Sephiroth sighed, and regarded him with one of his bored looks. "Perhaps I didn't want to have to drag you down after sunset. God alone knows where you'd get off to on a Friday night."

Riku huffed and got ready to respond, when a sharp glance cut him off.

"Or perhaps, I intend to take you out to dinner at a proper restaurant? Home cooked meals have their charm, but surely even you must grow weary of them after a while."

Riku rolled his eyes and made to speak, when he was cut off again.

"Or perhaps, I simply felt that I should not have to adhere to a set time constraint in this matter. I keep a schedule with all of my business affairs, yet the thought that I should have to make an appointment to see my own son, it irks me greatly. Do you understand?"

"But I have to make an appointment to see **you**." Riku shot back, glowering. _This is what I have to look forward to. A weekend full of emotional mind-fucking. I hate him, so much._

Sephiroth sighed and patted him gently on his shoulder. "I cannot help it if my schedule is so much fuller than yours." His eyes softened somewhat. "Enjoy your youth, Riku. Someday you may have a company of your own to preside over, and then you will not detest me so much, for you will understand where I am coming from."

Riku sighed, ignoring the tiny pangs he always felt at hating Sephiroth. He knew that he was the only thing in this world that his father truly loved, and he was just bad at showing it. _Still, I'll never forgive him for the way he treated Mom_. Brushing Sephiroth's hand off, he tried not to sound as irritated as he felt. "I'm not ready, okay?"

Sephiroth moved closer and looked over the top of his head. "Hmm, might that have anything to do with the fact that your friend is in your room playing that video game of yours?" Before Riku could stop him, he waved slightly. "Good afternoon, Sora."

"Good afternoon, sir." Sora replied, pausing the game.

"How is your mother doing? Are you keeping out of trouble? Doing well in school?" Sephiroth questioned, ignoring the way Riku's eyes rolled in his head.

"She's fine, I never get in trouble, and school is great, sir." Sora answered politely.

"I'm glad to hear it. You're a fine boy, Sora." Sephiroth returned his attention to Riku. "Well, I suggest you hurry up, lest you go hungry this evening. I let the cooks have the night off, and I will not revert to Pizza Hut if you cause us to miss our reservations at the Blue Swan. You and I shall simply fast together, a new sort of bonding, if you will." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked briskly down the hallway, his back impossibly straight.

Resisting the urge to scream, Riku closed the door. Groaning, he slumped against the door in frustration. "Fuck! Why is it, that every time I lay my hands on you, someone or something interferes and ruins me? Why?"

"It must be my guardian angel." Sora smirked, turning off the video game.

"Guardian sadist, you mean." Riku muttered.

"Whatever." Sora teased, still smirking.

"Wipe that look off your face and help me pack, before I pin you down and finish what we started, and to hell with what my father has to say about it." Riku threatened. He opened his closet and tugged out a large black duffle bag.

Blushing, Sora pulled the duffle bag over to where he sat. "Yeah, yeah." He glanced awkwardly around the room. "Um, what do you want me to do?"

"Just put the stuff that I toss to you in the bag, but fold it first." Riku answered, poking around in the closet. "I don't want my clothes all wrinkled, or my father will bug the shit out of me."

"You don't think you're being a little hard on him?" Sora asked. He caught a nice burgundy shirt that Riku tossed him, and folded it anyway.

"Nah." Riku assured him. "You heard his little crack about home cooking? That was one of his biggest complaints about ma. She wasn't a good enough cook for his highness."

"I like your mom's cooking." Sora replied, folding a navy blue shirt. It was true. He liked everything about Riku's mom, and he didn't understand how anyone could ever find fault with her for anything.

"So do I. He can stuff the entire Blue Swan, and everyone inside it, right up his ass." Riku proclaimed.

I doubt that it'd fit. Sora burst into laughter, knowing it was wrong, but helpless to stop.

Riku turned around and watched him, his mood brightening. "I didn't say it to make you laugh, but if it did, then oh well."

Sora grinned back at him. "I guess it's your payback for laughing at me earlier."

Riku nodded slowly. "Maybe it is." Hesitantly he walked over to where Sora sat on the floor, folding. "About earlier…" he began.

Sora looked up, anxiety suddenly settling in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah?"

Riku dropped to his knees and took Sora's face in his hands. "I hope I'm not being too forward, but…" His eyes lowered to roam boldly over Sora's entire form before returning to his face. "I want you."

Sora felt his face grow hot. "I know…" he managed.

Riku brushed his thumb over Sora's cheek, his eyes searching. "When I get back, I'm going to call Jake, and break it off with him. You're the only one I wanted in the first place, and now that I have you, I won't have anyone else. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Sora swallowed hard. In his mind he had known that it might come to this, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it, but he didn't dare pull away. Not with the almost desperate way Riku was looking at him. _Besides, it's not like we're getting married or moving in together. It's probably just a temporary thing. _He nodded.

Riku smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up. "Great. Now when girls hit on you, you can tell them that you already have a boyfriend of your own."

Sora opened his mouth to respond, and was somewhat shocked at the speed with which Riku's lips had found his. Once again he felt as though he was at the mercy of his hormones, his tongue brushing insistently against Riku's, his fingers digging into the soft carpet. When Riku finally pulled away, it left him breathless.

"That'll have to tide us over until I get back." Riku murmured. "The weekend never seemed so long before. I'm going to miss you, Sora." He rested his chin on his friend's shoulder and sighed in contentment.

"I know," Sora answered softly. _But will I miss you the same way?_

__

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Notes: What is that I see ahead? Could it be drama? Oh my!

Riku: Shit, it's not drama for me! I got my man, and I'm happy. (dances around)

Squall: (growls and mutters expletives) It's not fair.

Oh shut up, Leonhart. You had the entire last chapter to yourself. I had to give Riku something besides that kick in the ass from last time. He threatened to sue.

Riku: Fear the awesome might of the legal system! (snuggles Sora)

Sora: O.o Who can I sue?

Your mama.


	10. Saturday Afternoon

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I do now own however, a black Ford Explorer with four wheel drive, and a six disc CD changer. And all I had to do was carjack the original owner. Sweeeeeeeet!

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Author's Note: The forecast for this chapter is sunny with a hint of fluff.

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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What a waste of a perfectly good Saturday, Sora thought, sighing. He had been sprawled out on the living room sofa for thirty minutes, listening to his mother moving around in the kitchen. Bright sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, bathing the entire house in warm light. According to the weather channel, it would be a beautiful day, highs in the sixties, maybe even the last warm weekend of the year. It was exactly the type of day he'd long for all winter, until the seasons came around again. _But it's no fun when you're by yourself._

He sighed again, and rolled over. After breakfast, he'd tried calling Wakka, only to find out that he was at wrestling practice. A call to Tidus' house had informed him that he was at basketball team tryouts, picking new members. Sora had cursed his own lack of athletic involvement and hung up, resigning himself to solitude. Even Kairi had abandoned him, coming down stairs and announcing that she was going to meet Selphie and her friends at the mall. She'd left him to his place on the couch, bounding happily out the door. _What a day. _His eyes slid toward the kitchen, wondering what his mom was doing.

Lazily, he sat up and walked over to the kitchen, peering inside. Sonja was at the sink, bright yellow gloves pulled up to her elbows as she washed dishes. Sensing his presence, she looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Good afternoon, Sora honey."

"Morning, Mom." he said, with all the cheer and energy of one long dead. He leaned against the doorframe and sighed heavily.

Sonja's face took on an expression of concern. "Hey, why so down? Do you miss your friend already?"

Sora jolted, his cheeks heating. _He's not just my friend anymore… But, I don't really miss him… I'm just bored as hell._ He shook his head. "Not really. I'm just so bored. There's nothing to do."

Sonja laughed and turned around fully, lifting her gloved hands from the soapy water. "Oh, I don't know about all that." She crossed her arms and raised one auburn eyebrow. "The bathroom needs to be cleaned, the living room needs to be vacuumed, the glass needs to be wiped, the floors need to be mopped, and these dishes still need to be washed." She favored him with a sympathetic smile. "I know, it's hard to be young and bored, without a care in the world. So, I will trade places with you, and then you will have plenty of things to do."

Sora gulped and smiled sheepishly. "No thanks. I get your point, mom."

Sonja nodded. "I thought you'd understand." She turned back to the sink and continued to wash the dishes. "Honestly, it's too nice a day for you to be moping around the house. Aren't one of your other friends at home?"

Sora frowned. Other than Wakka, Tidus, and Riku, he didn't have any friends. _Well, except for Squall Leonhart._ His cheeks heated again. _But I don't know his number, or his address, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to be calling him anyway, and oh man… _He shook his head vehemently, and then felt stupid when he realized his mother couldn't see him. "Um, no. Everybody has something to do except for me."

"Then go find something to do." Sonja replied simply.

"Like what?" asked Sora.

"Go to the mall. You might catch up with Kairi." Sonja suggested.

"No way, mom! Guys don't hang around the mall with girls." Sora protested, appalled. _Especially not with the cheerleading squad. _That was a good way to get the rumors started. But then, he supposed that when school started on Monday, and everyone found out about him and Riku, the rumors would start anyway. _I wonder what Squall will think? _He was surprised that the thought worried him.

"Well Sora, honey, you can either run joyfully from this house into the lovely day, or you can skip joyfully upstairs, toilet brush in hand, and set to work. What will it be?" Sonja smiled warmly.

"Alright, alright. You win." Sora conceded. "I'll stop bothering you. I guess I'll just go wander around downtown or something."

Sonja nodded. "Good choice. Have fun, and stay out of trouble, okay?"

"I will." Sora assured her, and turned to go upstairs. As he ascended, he wondered where he'd go once he made it downtown. He opened his bedroom door and headed to his closet. Changing quickly into a red t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, he gave himself a cursory look over in the mirror. _It's not the height of fashion, but it'll do. At least the silver dragon on my shirt looks cool, anyway. _He headed back down the stairs, feeling self-conscious. _If I'm going to be dating Riku, then maybe I should give more attention to clothes and stuff. I mean, he's just so high-profile. _He glanced briefly at his mother before leaving the house. _And what will she think? She'll probably just wonder what took me so long. _He sighed, put his hands into his pockets, and began to walk.

The neighbor's kids were out on the lawn, playing tag. He waved to them, and they grinned and waved back. One of them was caught in the distraction and cried out "No fair! I was waving to Sora!"

Sora tried not to laugh, and picked up his pace. Cars passed him, people with their windows down, listening to music. _This is what I need, a good walk to clear my head. _He'd been feeling uneasy since he'd returned to his house last night, his mind lingering on Riku and what they'd done. The goodnight kiss in his bedroom had seared itself into his memory, replaying over and over. The tantalizing feel of Riku's weight over him, moving against him was something he doubt he'd forget anytime soon. It had taken him forever to fall asleep, his pulse racing as he lay in the darkness, remembering.

He snorted and shook his head. _And after all these years. After all the time I've spent fending Riku off, all it took was one football captain to make me give in. _He frowned. _But that's not all. _It was also guilt that he felt, guilt for liking Squall Leonhart in that way, after he'd told Riku countless times that he wasn't attracted to men. But Squall had come along and proved him wrong. _I mean, I owe it to Riku, really. I did tell him that if I changed my mind, I'd let him know, so shouldn't he be the one that I date? _He blushed furiously._ I mean, it's not like I could date Squall, anyway! He's my teacher, already! But… he's so gorgeous…_ Feeling embarrassed and exhilarated all at once, Sora began to run.

It is a beautiful day, he thought an hour later, somewhat awed. People were everywhere in the city, out enjoying the last nice day of the year. It made him feel warm. _Maybe I'll go catch a movie. Yeah, I think I will,_ he decided, liking the idea immediately. The multiplex was only two or three more blocks away. _I should probably go get something to eat first, though. I think the grocery store is right around this corner._

Sure enough, he saw the familiar tan building, the word Safeway written across the front and sides and huge red letters. He jogged across the parking lot, careful to avoid the parked cars. He slowed as he reached the automatic doors and walked inside. The air-conditioner felt nice after his brisk journey, and he sighed contentedly and ran a hand through his hair. _So, what do I want? _he mused, walking around. He avoided the produce section, not in the mood for fresh fruits and vegetables. _I need something small and portable that I can sneak into the theater, without getting caught. _His eyes lit up as he reached the snack aisle. _Aha! Chips and candy. _Quickly he selected a bag of Nacho Cheesier Doritos and a king-sized Kit-Kat, and glanced around, feeling that something was missing. He wandered down the beverage aisle, and frowned, realizing that there was no way he could smuggle a twelve pack of Coke into the theater. _Hmm, too bad they don't sell sodas by the can, but there's always the vending machine up front. _His course of action decided on, he headed to the checkout lines. The express lanes were closed, so he chose the cash only line, and stood patiently.

A strange, yet appealing scent invaded his nose, and he looked puzzled. _Something smells sort of familiar, but I can't quite figure it out._ He glanced around, and then his eyes happened to fall on the man standing in front of him. He was wearing leather pants. _Oh my God… _He had never in his life seen anyone wearing pants like those. Black leather clung desperately to the enticing curves of the man's form, giving the impression of a living statue sculpted from onyx. _He's an Adonis._ Painfully, Sora averted his eyes. _Riku's influence, no doubt. I'll end up just like him soon enough._ Still, he found his gaze returning to the man in front of him, feeling that there was something he was overlooking. _I feel like I should know him. Let's see, he's tall, and he's well built, and he has long dark hair… Ah… Oh shit! Squall Leonhart?! _His heart lurched at the revelation. _Right in front of me?! In leather pants?! _Sora felt somewhat faint and leaned on the magazine rack for support.

Squall glanced around. "Are you having a problem-" _Wait, is that… Sora? _He turned around fully, his expression concerned and confused. "Sora, are you alright?" He placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

Sora took another step closer to sudden death. "I'm super." he squeaked. _Now it all makes sense, after all, I'm not usually in the habit of staring at men's asses. _He looked staunchly at the ground, not trusting his ability to remain standing if he took a look at the whole picture. _Not just Squall Leonhart, not just black leather pants, but Squall Leonhart **in** black leather pants!!! _His form-fitting white t-shirt was mostly irrelevant, but it didn't hurt either. _Alright, I've got to get myself together. _With firm resolve he straightened up and looked Squall in the eyes. His nerve almost faltered against those beautiful gray irises, but he held strong. "I wasn't expecting to run into you this weekend."

Squall stared back at him. "Neither was I." _But I'm glad I did. _He'd missed Sora's presence after school more than he'd realized. _I probably look like a golden retriever right now, I'm so pleased to see him._ He glanced at the items in Sora's hand. "Had a junk food craving, did you?"

Sora shook his head. "Um, not exactly." He jumped as he felt Squall gently tug the items from his grasp. _Huh?! _"What are you doing?"

Squall smirked at him, and tossed the packages onto the conveyer belt next to his own items. "Don't worry about it. They're on me."

"Um, thanks." Sora managed, blushing. "That's really nice of you."

Squall nodded. "Don't worry about it. I can afford a few things, even on a teacher's salary." He turned to the checker.

The checker was a pretty girl of high school age. Her brown hair was styled in a short, boyish cut that flattered her large dark eyes. Her name tag read 'Yuffie.' She smiled at them. "Good afternoon! How are you two doing today?"

Squall nodded curtly, but Sora smiled back at her. "We're good, how about you?"

"I'm great!" Yuffie chirped. She chatted animatedly with Sora as she rung up Squall's purchases.

Squall rolled his eyes, irritated. _Will she never shut up? And does she have to smile at Sora so much, and look so interested in what he's saying? _He huffed and looked away, ignoring Yuffie's high-pitched giggles at something Sora told her. _Damn, she's really eating it up. I mean, I know Sora is a good-looking kid, but she could stand to have a little more tact… _He flushed. _Did I really just think that?_

"Okay, your total is forty-three dollars and seventy-five cents." Yuffie announced cheerfully. "Sir?"

"Oh right." Squall mumbled, and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. He absently fished out a fifty dollar bill and handed it to her. _Do I really find Sora good-looking? _He stole a brief glance at Sora. A sudden tightening in his stomach attested to the affirmative. _Well, so what. I could consider a lot of people attractive. But I don't…_

"Here's your change." Yuffie said, and handed the money to Squall. "Have a nice day!" She turned to Sora. "And I'll see you at the game!"

"You bet." Sora replied, grinning. He looked up surprised, as Squall pressed the change into his hand. "What's this for?"

For your company. "No reason." Squall responded, and picked up the bags. He began to walk away, pleased to see that Sora was following him out of the store. _He probably just wants his candy and chips._ "So," he began, stalling. "What did she mean she'd see you at the game?"

"Oh, that." Sora said. "She's from Midgar High. They're our homecoming rivals this year. I'll be at the game because Wakka and Tidus are on the team." He shrugged. "Otherwise, I wouldn't bother."

"Ah. It seemed like she was quite taken with you." Squall suggested, as they crossed the parking lot. _Much to my annoyance._

Sora laughed and shook his head. "Maybe she was. But it doesn't matter because…" _Because of Riku… I'm not single anymore._

"Because why?" Squall prompted. _Don't tell me, he's not attracted to females. Although it won't matter to me either way._

Sora scratched awkwardly at his hair. _Heh, I'm not quite ready for that confession yet. _"Because I already had plans. I was going to go catch a movie downtown."

"By yourself?" Squall asked. "That's no fun. Believe me, I know." _Lord, I'm so pathetic. _"Where's your opinionated best friend, anyway?"

Where's my jealous boyfriend, do you mean? Sora blushed furiously. "Ah ha! Riku is out of town, remember? I told you yesterday morning." _He's gone now, but when he gets back…_

Squall nodded, feeling relieved. "Oh yes, I remember now." He shifted the bags in his arms.

Sora's eyes lit up. "Oh! Need help with those? They do look kind of heavy."

Squall lifted an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm stronger than I look. I think I can handle a few bags." He deposited one in Sora's arms nonetheless. "But since you so graciously volunteered…"

Sora rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever." He shifted the bag, resting it against his chest. "Where are we taking these anyway?"

"To my apartment. It's not far." Squall replied immediately and then blanched. _Is it really appropriate for me to have him in my apartment? It's all innocent, right? He's just helping me with my groceries._ The tension in his muscles suggested otherwise.

Sora's eyes widened. _I'm going to see his apartment? Wow… _"Oh… cool. I can always catch a later showing of the movie."

Squall began walking faster, his thoughts racing. _I hope it's not a mistake. _"What movie were you going to see?"

Sora shrugged and walked beside him. "I don't know. Whatever was showing at the time, I guess. Just so long as it's not a chick flick."

Squall snickered. "I'm definitely with you there." He resisted the urge to kick at stones as he walked. _I always feel so at ease around him. It's weird. _"It's nice out. Usually I wouldn't be so comfortable in these pants."

In those pants, indeed! Sora thought. "Are they really comfortable?" he strangled out.

Squall nodded. "Yeah. Especially this pair. They're really broken in, and more comfortable than my jeans. Ah, this is the building." _That was fast._

Sora swallowed hard and didn't reply. As they entered the apartment building, his eyes remained riveted to Squall's backside. When he came to a stop in front of the stairwell, he nearly died. "Um, why aren't we taking the elevator?"

Squall snorted. "That thing is slow as hell and not worth the effort. We're only going to the fifth floor. We can make it." He pushed open the door and stepped inside. _I still can't believe I'm showing a student my apartment. And why do I keep thinking about it like it's a date?!_ He started up the stairs.

Sora followed quietly, his eyes faithfully following the movement of Squall's body. _Riku would fall over and die if he were here. Riku…_ A pang of guilt struck him at the thought. _If Riku is really my… boyfriend… then I shouldn't be thinking about Squall that way. Not that I should anyway. He's my teacher after all. _Resolve strengthened, Sora stared determinedly at the ground as they went up, only lifting his eyes when they exited the stairwell and started down the corridor.

Squall stopped in front of his door and shifted his bag to his hip as he fished around in his pocket for his key.

"You can fit a key in those pants?" Sora blurted out. "Um, I mean, because they are pretty tight."

Squall felt his face fill with heat. _Heh… so you noticed, did you? _He was somewhat horrified to realize that he had wanted Sora to notice. That was the whole reason he had brought attention to the pants, back on the sidewalk. _That can't be healthy. But still… I wonder if he was staring at my ass the entire time… Okay, now I'm just being sick! _Irritated with himself, he turned the key in the lock. "You'll have to excuse the place. I didn't clean up before I went to the store." The knob turned easily and he pushed the door open. He flipped the light switch and they stepped inside.

Sora looked around, awed. It was his first time inside an apartment, and he'd always expected them to be cluttered and run-down. It wasn't so. Squall's living room was cozy, but not confined, with a black leather couch, flanked on either side by small black end tables. An aquarium sat on a stand against the wall, small fish swimming casually in the bubbling water. A modest entertainment center contained a television, video cassette recorder, and stereo. Sora couldn't help but feel impressed. _It's so nice, and so… mature. Then again he is an adult._ "It's great." he said, after a moment.

Squall shrugged. "Well, it's not the Waldorf Astoria, but it's where I live. Come on, let's get these groceries put away." He led the way into the kitchen, flicking another light switch and setting his bag down on the countertop.

Sora followed suit, setting down his bag and glancing around. The kitchen was so clean even his mother would've been impressed. The countertops were practically empty, the sink free of dishes. The only food items in sight were the boxes of Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran on top of the white fridge. "You like to keep things pretty clean, huh?"

Squall sighed. "Yes, you could say I'm a bit of a neat freak." He began removing groceries from the bags, carefully putting them away as he went.

"So I see." Sora watched for a few minutes. _I should probably leave now. _He glanced at his watch. "Well, I…"

"Would you like to stay for lunch?" Squall interrupted. Suddenly he didn't want Sora to leave. He was tired of spending his weekends home alone. _I know it's lame, but for once, I'd like the company._

Sora blinked. _What? _"You want me to stay for lunch?" _Not that I don't want to, but…_

Squall looked away, feeling strangely embarrassed. _I was a fool to ask. _"Never mind. Forget I said it. It's a pathetic idea."

Sora shook his head. "No, it's not. I mean, I am sort of hungry. Plus you'd save me the hassle of buying popcorn at the movies." _Although I don't really care about the movies anymore._ "Besides, what's pathetic about having lunch with a friend?" He grinned brightly.

"Alright. That was a little too cheesy for me to handle." Squall proclaimed and ruffled his hair. The texture was surprisingly soft despite it's spiky appearance. _I could grow to like this._

Sora stiffened at the contact. _He touched me…_

Squall noticed and pulled his hand back quickly. _What the hell am I doing? _"Sorry. That was inappropriate and unprofessional."

Sora shook his head. "No, it's not that." _It's just that your single touch does to me what Riku did yesterday afternoon, only with less effort. _He settled down onto a stool. _I wonder what Riku is doing right now? Probably thinking of me._

Squall leaned on the counter. _What is he thinking about? _"So, what'll it be?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, startled. "I get to choose what's for lunch?"

"You are my guest." Squall explained. "Your wish is my command. At least for today." He smirked. "So don't let it go to your head."

Sora stuck out his tongue. "Whatever." He considered for a moment, resting his chin on his palm. "Hmm, let me think…"

"Don't hurt yourself." Squall teased.

"Oh, shut up." Sora replied automatically and blushed. _You're not supposed to tell your teachers to shut up. But then, he is my friend._ He resumed thinking about lunch. "Well, it has to be healthy."

"Naturally." Squall agreed. "This is not McDonalds."

Sora tapped his cheek with one finger, his blue eyes wandering. "And it has to taste good, and it should also be quick, because I don't want to take up too much of your time."

Squall waved a hand dismissively. "I don't mind." _It's not like I have anything better to do._

Sora's eyes lit up. "I've got it!"

A few minutes later Squall was standing in front of the stove rolling his eyes. _Healthy. He says that a grilled cheese sandwich is healthy._ Sighing, he flipped the sandwich with the spatula.

"What kind of fish are these?" Sora called from the living room. "They're really cool-looking."

Squall flipped the sandwich again. "They're koi. They come from Japan." He removed the sandwich from the frying pan and placed it on a plate next to the finished ones. _Not just one sandwich either, but two apiece. My arteries are going to pop. _He set the frying pan in the sink and ran cool water over it, leaving the oven vent on to take out the smoke.

"Why do you only have fish?" Sora asked, walking back into the kitchen. "You don't like cats or dogs?"

Squall quickly scrubbed the frying pan and rinsed it. "They're alright, but too high maintenance. And this building doesn't allow pets other than fish or small animals like hamsters." He replaced the pan in the dish drain and turned off the stove vent." And I hate hamsters." He looked in the fridge. "What do you want to drink? Coke?"

"Eww! Soda with grilled cheese?!" exclaimed Sora as though Squall had said something unthinkable. "Are you nuts? You're supposed to drink milk with that." he informed Squall matter-of-factly.

"So sorry. How could I have been so careless to forget such a thing?" Squall said with exaggerated distress. "Maybe because I stopped eating these things once I got out of middle school and realized that they could very well kill you."

Sora snorted. "Even water can kill you if you drink too much of it." He peered at the plate. "Um, you only made four." He looked up. "Where's yours? Or are you not hungry?"

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Surely you jest? I mean, how many of those can you eat, anyway?"

Sora stared back at him, unblinking.

"Oh come on!" Squall said. "You've got to be shitting me!" He crossed him arms and glared at Sora defiantly. "You cannot possibly intend to eat four grilled cheese sandwiches by yourself."

Sora simply stared.

"Sora…" started Squall warningly. _No way in Hell am I going to let him eat all those things. He'll go into cardiac arrest before my very eyes! _"I mean it."

Sora stared.

A few minutes later Squall was back in front of the stove, flipping another grilled cheese sandwich. "Goddammit!" he muttered.

"Hurry up!" Sora called from the living room. "I'm starving."

"You can always start without me." Squall suggested. "That way, you should be well into your heart attack before I get too comfortable."

"Very funny." Sora called back. "Can we eat in here, or do we have to eat in the kitchen?"

Squall considered. He never ate in his living room, but for some reason it didn't bother him to let Sora do it. "We can eat in there if you want." He removed his sandwich and placed it on a plate next to the first. "Just don't make a mess."

"I'm not an infant, you know." Sora shot back. "I'm sixteen years old, and I'll be seventeen in April."

Don't remind me, Squall thought and then blanched. _Why should I care how young he is? I mean, it's not like I'm planning on dating him._ He cleaned the frying pan again and returned it to its place. _Finally. _He picked up his plate and went into the living room.

Immediately Sora left his spot by the aquarium and returned to the sofa. He had already set his plate and the glasses of milk on the coffee table. "It's about time." He plopped down on the leather cushions and began eating his first sandwich.

Squall watched him apprehensively and then sat down and started on his own meal. "If I die from eating this, I'll hold you personally responsible."

"Then don't choke." Sora quipped.

Squall ate his sandwiches quietly, reflecting that he hadn't enjoyed a Saturday so much in a long time. With Sora next to him on the couch, the sunlight shining in through the drapes, and the fish tank bubbling softly in the background, he found himself wishing that he had more days like this. Once he finished, he merely watched Sora. _He really is amazing. I wish he was older, though._

Sora finished his last sandwich and smirked triumphantly. "There. I told you I could eat four."

"You sure did." Squall said warily. "And I'm just wondering, where do you put it all?" He looked Sora over slowly. "I mean, you look pretty good, to me."

Sora blinked. _Eh?!_

Squall flushed, horrified. "What I meant to say is, you're so slim to eat so much. That's all." _That's not all. He does look pretty good. _He rubbed his eyes. _Now I know why I was worried about bringing him over._ He stood suddenly and took the dishes. "I'd better get these cleaned up."

"I'll help." Sora offered, standing.

"No." Squall said sharply. "I mean, you're still my guest. Just relax. I've got it under control." _Do I really? _He went into the kitchen, his heart pounding, as he set the dishes in the sink and turned on the water. _Where the hell are all these thoughts coming from?! What the fuck is wrong with me?_ He scrubbed the dishes, not wanting to think about the nature of his thoughts and what they could mean. _So what if he is **mildly** attractive? That is not for me to notice. I am his teacher for crying out loud. I have a responsibility to uphold. _He mentally reassured himself as he cleaned, restoring order to both the dishes and his thoughts. He took longer than usual to dry the dishes and replace them in the cabinets. _Now, I'm going to go back out there, and I'll act normal until he decides to go see his movie. _He walked into the living room.

Sora stood by the aquarium again, seemingly mesmerized by the movement of the koi.

Squall joined him. "What is it with you and my fish?"

Sora smiled and didn't look up. "I don't know. They're just so cool. They have all those different colors and they're really shiny, even for fish. I just can't stay away from them."

Squall smirked. "Well, would you expect me to own anything less than cool?"

"Of course not." Sora answered, finally looking up.

Squall felt as though an electric current had gone through him. _It's that look again. Oh God, it's that look, and he's right here, and I'm too close, and Dear God… I think I want him. All… because… of that damn… look._

"Are you alright?" Sora asked softly, his eyes concerned. _He looks like he's going to fall over or something._

No. "Sora…" Squall hardly recognized his own voice when he spoke. "Do you… have any idea what it does to a man when you look at him… like that?" _He has no idea. He can't know, or he would've stopped by now._

"Like what?" Sora managed. _He's so close to me. _He picked up the scent of Squall's skin, some woodsy mixture that called to mind images of rough, unexplored forests and mountains. The bubbling of the aquarium suddenly seemed painfully loud to him.

"Like this." Squall said, and fixed Sora with a look that conveyed all of his loneliness, months of sexual frustration, and pent up desires. _And I thought it was inappropriate what I was doing earlier. _He channeled every lustful thought and hazy erotic dream into his stare, needing just once to put his scattered musings to light. _Is this really for his benefit, or mine?_

Sora quailed under the intensity of Squall's gaze, flattening back against the wall. His knees were turning to water as signals raced through his nerves, his body responding instinctively to the heat in those gray eyes. _That look alone… If he looks at me like that long enough… _He closed his eyes.

Squall leaned in closer, unrelenting. "Open your eyes." _I need to stop this before it gets out of hand._ "Look at me."

As if in a trance, Sora's eyes opened slowly. He returned Squall's look, helpless to disguise his thoughts. _What's happening to me?_

"That is the look I'm talking about." Squall murmured. "I can't have you looking at me like that, Sora. It causes me to have… indecent thoughts." _Thoughts that I am beginning to want to act upon. _"You don't want me to get the wrong idea about you, right?"

"I can't help it." Sora whispered. "You're just so… you make me feel…" He shuddered.

Squall forced himself to remain calm. _The way that he shuddered like that… oh my God… _"I understand. But still, you're going to have to try. Try for me, okay?"

Sora nodded slowly. "I'll try." _I don't know if it'll do any good, though. _He swallowed. _Still, if it upsets him that much, I'll make myself stop. I don't want him to say we can't be friends anymore…Besides… _"I mean, I was going to have to stop anyway. Riku was bound to notice eventually."

Squall bristled. _Fuck Riku. _"What's so important about what he thinks?" he asked with forced neutrality.

Sora averted his eyes and laughed weakly. "Ha, well… He's my boyfriend. So, I guess he'd get pretty mad, and he'd have a right to be mad."

Even though he had suspected it, he found that he was still entirely unprepared for the news, a realization that unsettled him greatly. _Boyfriend? That delinquent? _Squall cleared his throat. "Oh. Congratulations."

Sora tried a small smile. "Thanks. It's just beginning really. I mean, we started yesterday, when I went to his house…" He trailed off and turned beet red, realizing that he didn't want Squall to know the cause for his relationship.

Squall bristled again. _So what? He cops a few feels off you, and now you think you're in love? I thought you were smarter than that. _He backed up suddenly and looked away, ashamed of his thoughts. _Why am I acting this way? It's unfair to Sora for me to resent him just because of who he dates. _"Well, I hope it works out well for you."

"I hope so too." Sora murmured. _I just feel so confused sometimes._

For a while neither spoke, lost in their own musings.

I wish I knew what my problem was. "I suppose I'd better take you home." Squall announced finally. _I need time to think. _"It's getting kind of late, and your mother will wonder where you are. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble." _Although, I'm probably the one who'd be in trouble. Especially with my behavior tonight._

"Yeah, you're right." Sora agreed, although he knew his mother wouldn't get upset. "I don't really feel like going to the movies anymore."

Squall nodded. "Where do you live, anyway?" _The farther the better. Maybe then he won't walk back out here, and I won't lose my mind._

Too far from you. "On Destiny Island Drive." Sora replied, looking at the door.

Damn, not quite far enough. "Ah. I know where that is. That's not far from the school. So, you can start on down, and I'll meet you in the lobby." Squall didn't turn around as Sora moved to the door and opened it. He waited until he heard retreating footsteps and let out the breath he didn't notice he'd been holding. _I'm afraid… that I'm greatly attracted to him, but that can't be right. He's sixteen for fuck's sake. _He scowled. _Not to mention, he is my student. _Sighing, he went to the closet and pulled out his leather jacket and motorcycle helmet. _I remember reading somewhere that men think about sex hundreds of times a day._ He snorted as he locked his apartment door. _But I've never been like that. I don't chase after ass like some sort of maniac._ He descended the steps without looking, his movements agile. _Maybe I'm just extremely repressed. But if that was the case, I'd have taken advantage of one of my willing co-workers. That's not it, then. _He pushed open the door to the stairwell and stepped out. _So, what is my problem?_

Sora stood in front of the lobby doors, his back to him. The dying sunlight filtered in through the windows, illuminating his profile. There was a golden hue cast upon his hair, skin, and clothes, that seemed strangely suited to him. As Squall stared, he turned slightly, looking over his shoulder. "That was quick." he said nonchalantly.

He says that so calmly… like I'm not just standing here, burning up with some wretched feeling that I can't even figure out. "Yeah, I can get pretty fast when I want to. I've been known to reach speeds as high as two miles per hour." _Is this really sexual attraction?_

Sora smirked. "I'd have to see it to believe it." he teased.

****

He is my problem. Squall realized suddenly. _It's not sexual frustration, or nymphomania, or anything else. It's just him_. At some point within the short time they'd been acquainted, Sora had gotten under his skin and it was tearing at him from the inside. _I don't know why, but I want him. And dear God, I swear, if he gives me that look again, in this light… I just might break the law._

"So, how am I getting home?" Sora questioned. "Are we going to walk?"

Squall scoffed, roused from his reverie. "I doubt it. We're going to ride."

"Ride what?" Sora asked innocently.

Squall's mind reeled. _Heh… Wouldn't you like to know… Okay! Now **that** was unacceptable. _"My bike."

Sora laughed. "Am I going to sit on the handlebars while you pedal or something? Won't I crush the basket? Can I ring the bell?" _If I can have this, I'll gladly give up on my fantasies. Well, maybe not gladly, but I will give them up._

Squall scowled. "You must have me confused with some ten year old girl you know. Don't make me give you a taste of the back of my hand." He started off toward the parking garage, willing his pulse to slow. _I don't know which is worse. His 'come and get it' look, or that damn smirk._

Sora followed him, snickering. "Yeah right. You wouldn't dare touch me."

Oh, I'd do more than touch you, at this rate. Squall shook his head. "Keep on thinking that. When they're pulling a sheet over you on the ten o clock news, don't say I didn't warn you."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Whatever." _I do wish that he would touch me, though. But I'll take his friendship. I just wish…_

"Well, here she is." Squall announced, and came to a stop.

"She?" Sora questioned, looking. A huge motorcycle was parked in front of them. It was a glossy black with more chrome than he'd even seen before. The word Ragnarok was scrawled across the side in glittery silver letters. _It looks dangerous. _Immediately Sora went over to it, and traced his fingers along it's form. "Wow… So you do have a motorcycle. That is so cool!" He turned to Squall, eyes sparkling excitedly. "I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think they were true." He returned his attention to the bike. "I mean, this is awesome."

Squall's eyes followed the movements of Sora's fingers. _Now, I see why they call them jailbait._ "I didn't think people still used the word awesome. I thought that died with the Ninja Turtles."

Sora turned back around and smirked at him. "Well, you know, they brought back the Ninja Turtles."

"Lord why?" Squall muttered. _Well, it's now or never. _He held out the objects he'd been cradling under his arm. "Here."

Sora took the jacket and helmet, inspecting them. "What's this for?"

Squall crossed his arms. "The jacket is so you don't catch pneumonia. That wind can get pretty bad sometimes." _And so I will freeze in your stead. _"And the helmet is so that, in the event of an accident, your head doesn't crack open and get me sued." _Likewise, I shall sacrifice my skull._

"Oh." Sora looked concerned. "What about you?"

"I'd probably die. But I can accept that, or I wouldn't own a motorcycle in the first place. You never know when some asshole is going to merge into your lane and sandwich you between another car or something like that." He noticed that Sora looked even more upset. _Shit, that didn't help. _"Oh relax. We'll be fine. Put them on, so we can get going."

Reluctantly, Sora put them on. He didn't much care for the helmet, it was too large and had a tendency to move. _It's safety, I guess. But the jacket is nice. _The jacket was also too large for him, and he felt swallowed up, but the leather and satin lining held the scent that he'd caught back in the apartment. It was warm and comforting, and so undeniably Squall that he knew that he'd never be able to stop his fantasies. Friendship was nice, but it wasn't all that he wanted. _I know that now. I really like him, and I know it's wrong, but I don't care._

Squall climbed onto the bike. "Okay. Now hop on, and hold on to my waist, nice and tight. Don't want you to fall off." _Hell, **I** might fall off. Why didn't I think this through? We should've taken the bus. _He put on his sunglasses, wondering if he was some sort of masochist.

Sora gulped. _Well, I did want to touch him… _Nervously, he climbed on behind Squall and wrapped his arms around his midsection. His hands rested on impossibly firm stomach muscles which tensed under his fingertips. _Eep! _He almost let go, but forced himself to relax. _Don't be a pervert. He's probably embarrassed enough as it is._

It took all of his effort, but Squall managed not to utter a sound. Determined to ignore Sora's hands on him, he started the ignition. _Can I really do this? This is dangerous. Not just physically, but mentally. I know I'm not the first teacher to look at a student the wrong way, but still… Feeding it like this is just asking for trouble. That's it then. It'll all stop. I can't afford to compromise my livelihood over a student that I've only known for a week. It would be ridiculous…_

"Squall?" Sora asked, leaning forward suddenly. "Are we going?"

He called me by my first name… Squall was made aware of Sora's warm form pressed against him. _Yes, Sora. You're going home, and I'm going to Hell in a hand basket. I am only a man, after all. _Without answering, he floored it, darting between two cars and heading for the exit to the garage.

Sora yelped and clung to him, burying his face in the back of his shirt. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. _He shut his eyes and prayed that he would not die.

Squall smirked as they left the garage, heading onto the street. Carefully, he merged, knowing that he was responsible for Sora's safety in addition to his own. _Too bad. I can't do any stunts. Well… maybe just one_. He shot through an opening and weaved around a few cars, relishing the way Sora's arms tightened around him. _Okay, I'm done now._

As they drove, Sora gradually relaxed. Fearfully, he lifted his head and took a peek. The scenery flew by at an alarming rate, the view so much different than when he was riding in a car. The sun was setting, and everything had a warm and peaceful look. Store fronts reflected the fading sun, its light shimmering off of windows and bricks. People strolled around contentedly, seeming to glow as they walked, their movements languid. The sky itself was in lush tones of yellow, orange, and pink, with streaks of lavender fading against the soft clouds. It looked as though the city was under a golden spell, and it had never looked so beautiful to Sora. He sighed contentedly and rested against Squall. _This was an extremely cool day._

Squall concentrated on driving, trying not to actively acknowledge his emotions. He poured every ounce of his skill into his handling of the bike, refusing to allow any harm to come to his passenger. _Although, he's not helping much. _Every few minutes, Sora would shift, and his blood would heat up, his muscles would tense, and he'd have to bite back the noises that threatened. _Damn sensitive stomach muscles… _He was both relieved and disappointed when he saw the sign for Destiny Island Drive. _Why do I get the feeling that this was some kind of date? _He sighed, feeling Sora's tug on his sleeve that meant their trip was over_. And am I wrong for thinking that if so, it's the best one I've ever been on in my life?_

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****

Notes: Whew! What a chapter. My fingers shriveled up and died before my very eyes from all the typing. And the sad part is, it's really not even long. I'm going to have a hell of a time writing my midterm papers at this rate.

Riku: Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Sora is mine, and nobody is going to take him away!

-(flips a switch and launches Riku over the horizon)

Riku: (fading) Damn yooouuuuuuuu…

Squall: (watches) I thought you couldn't kick him anymore because he had lawyers.

-I can't. That's why I used the Ejector Seat. Now available at Kmart, Target, and many other fine stores! Let's see him sue the chair. Heh heh. Now with that out of the way, let's answer a few questions!

_1. One question though...Does Riku's father know that Riku is a homosexual?_

-Nope! He doesn't have a clue.

_2. Wait! I have a question! I'm really curious as to who the non-con sex is gonna be with? Is it SoraxRiku?_

Sora: Please no.

_LeonxSora?_

Squall: I would never.

_RIKUxLEON FOR SOME REASON?!_

Squall: ...Yuck.

_I hope it's not SoraxRiku... that makes me sad... ;;_

__-That makes me sad too. Ah, but I can't tell. It's a surprise.

Squall: I hate surprises.

-Then you're going to hate this. (flips a switch and launches Squall over the horizon)

Squall: (fading) You can't do this to meeeeee.........

-Thanks again to all of the wonderful reviewers! I love all of you so much. More than I love chocolate cake. Almost.


	11. Saturday Evening

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Au contraire, Kingdom Hearts owns me. And it ownz joo, 2.

****

Author's Note: Not a whole lot of action in this chapter. It's a transitional chapter though, and a lot of the things that are in it, sort of set up the future action. Thank you to all of the reviewers, and to everyone who gave me chocolate cake! Woo-hoo! (stuffs face)

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink, Riku thought bemusedly, as he lounged on his pool float. _But then, that's not true. All I have to do is snap my fingers, and Vincent will come running to bring me water straight out of the Alps if I ask for it. _He rolled his eyes. _I hate it here. _He glanced at his father.

Sephiroth was doing his laps, his powerful arms cutting effortlessly through the water as he swam, his long hair trailing behind him. He and Riku were the only ones in the large indoor pool.

He looks like a mermaid, Riku thought, and snickered. His eyes wandered to the clock on the wall of the natatorium. _I can't believe it's only six o clock. I feel like I've been here for years. This is the lamest Saturday ever. _He sighed. _I wonder if Sora is doing any better. _He had been thinking about Sora constantly since the moment he left, saying their casual goodbyes at the front door, but all the while the intensity of the real farewell they'd shared seemed to settle on them like a blanket. _I wonder if ma knows. She probably does. _He glanced at his father again. _He can't know, or he'd be bitching at me right now. _Riku rolled onto his side, thinking. _How am I going to get rid of Jake, though? I guess I'll worry about it when I get back and make sure that Sora didn't chicken out on me. _He grinned. _I still can't believe he finally gave in, after all these years. I guess it's true what they say about hard work and perseverance paying off in the end._

Sephiroth quietly grasped the edge of the float and flipped it easily, rolling Riku over the side.

THE FUCK?! Cool water suddenly flooded into Riku's every bodily orifice, prohibiting breathing, and making him feel downright uncomfortable. His float forgotten, he scrambled to an upright position and began to tread water. "What the hell was that for?!" he snapped, shaking droplets from his face.

Sephiroth stared back at him, unfazed. "You have the privilege of enjoying a splendid twenty-five yard indoor pool, in the privacy of my home gym. There are no screaming whelps, nor obscenities in bikini suits, nor incompetent lifeguards whistling for you to get out of the pool every fifteen minutes." He sighed heavily and smoothed back his hair. "Yet, you do not take advantage of the situation."

Riku rolled his eyes. _What a nutcase. _"I am taking advantage of it. I'm lazing around on my ass, doing nothing. If I tried that shit at a public pool, I'd get drowned." His eyes narrowed. "And apparently the same goes for here."

Sephiroth waved a hand. "That is your own fault for letting your guard down." His face took on a serious expression. "The moment you let your guard down, is when the threat is the greatest, because you do not see it coming. I did not become head of my own company by letting my guard down."

Somehow, Riku kept a straight face. _Don't make me gag. _"Come on," he protested. "I thought I was on parental visitation, not at corporate boot camp."

Sephiroth smiled dryly. "I can assure you that if such a wonderful place existed, I would've sent you there a long time ago." He retrieved the float and gracefully climbed onto it. "Now," he said, arching an eyebrow in challenge. "Let's see how many laps you can do without stopping."

"What the hell for?!" Riku snapped, agitated.

Sephiroth folded his arms behind his head. "It will give me some clue as to the physical state your mother has been keeping you in."

Leave her out of this! Riku scowled darkly. "For fuck's sake, she's not a drill instructor, okay?!"

Sephiroth waved a hand. "Profanity will not excuse you from this exercise. Begin."

Muttering expletives under his breath, Riku moved to the edge of the pool and leaned against the wall. "Can I swim on my back?"

"You wish." Sephiroth replied. "Breaststroke or butterfly only. No dog paddling, either."

Riku sighed and laid his face in the water. On the count of three, he pushed off from the wall, propelling himself as far as he could. He began to kick his legs, chopping the water with his hands as he went. Between strokes he lifted his head briefly for air, feeling his body protest this sudden state of physical strain. After what felt like ages, he reached the other side of the pool. Nimbly, he did an underwater turn and pushed off for the other side. This lap was even harder, his body feeling as though it was weighted at the joints, his muscles burning. He thought he would die when he finally touched the tiled wall. Exhausted, he stole a glance at his father.

Sephiroth watched him calmly, with no discernable expression on his face.

Fucking smug bastard, Riku thought. _Come on, I can at least do one more lap… _Sluggishly, he pushed off from the wall, and willed his limbs to cooperate. Unfortunately they were not inclined to acquiesce his request, as he soon found himself sinking below the surface. _Oh shit! _In a panic, he took a deep breath and instantly regretted it. As he sank, he was somewhat aware of a splashing sound to his left, but it didn't fully register until he felt strong arms grabbing him under his armpits. _How embarrassing…_

Sephiroth calmly carried Riku to the edge and hoisted him out of the pool. He climbed out after him and dragged him by one leg across the tile over to the pool chairs. Ignoring Riku's squeak of pain, he seated himself in his own lounger and proceeded to towel dry his hair.

Riku pulled himself up onto another chair, choking. He felt the burning sensation in his nose and brain that he always associated with too much chlorine and laid his face on the chair, groaning and waiting for it to pass.

"Oh shut up." Sephiroth responded. "You brought it upon yourself."

Riku lifted his head and glared to the fullest of his ability. Much to his horror, his father merely picked up his own towel and began to dry his dripping face. "Cut that out!" he squawked helplessly, lacking the energy to flee.

"Riku, you must be in the absolute worst physical shape for someone of your age. You nearly drowned after doing one lap." Sephiroth sighed in exasperation and removed the towel. "Now, how do you explain that? Hmm?"

Riku sighed and sat up, feeling slightly more alive. "I never was much of a pool person."

Sephiroth scoffed. "Is that so? I think it would be far more accurate to chalk it up to a lifestyle of gross physical inactivity."

Riku couldn't resist smirking. "I'll have you know, I am very active."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Indeed. Of course, I was not referring to your lusty pursuit of the fairer sex, Riku. And I'll have you know, Garnet is still having her parents call my office, constantly wondering when you'll be back in the country." He shook his head. "The lies I tell for you are gargantuan."

Riku shrugged. "If you hadn't introduced us at the yacht clubhouse, it never would've happened."

"Well, if you didn't affix yourself to anything with a large pair of mammary glands and a pulse, it wouldn't have happened, either." Sephiroth answered. "There is not a day that goes by, where I don't thank the Maker that you're not bisexual. I cannot even begin to fathom the lawsuits that would ensue."

Riku laughed, careful to act as natural as he always did when the subject came up. _Heh. _"Well, you know how I am."

Sephiroth grew utterly serious. "No really, I don't. I have shadows and ideas, vague conceptions and nothing more." He stared at his son. "Riku, as I look back on the years, I cannot help but feel robbed of my son. We do not spend nearly enough time together, and we scarcely know one another."

Riku groaned loudly. "Oh man! Give me a break!" He rolled onto his back and looked up at the vaulted ceiling. "Look, it's not my fault that you're always too busy to visit me."

"You're right." Sephiroth shook his head. "It's my fault. I should've pushed for full custody. But I know how much you love your mother. You were always her child. I could see it from the start."

"Dad," Riku began, frustrated.

"Never mind." Sephiroth interrupted, standing. "You're too young to comprehend it all."

"Sir," spoke a calm voice from across the room.

Riku glanced up, and immediately frowned when he saw the visitor. _Oh, ugh._

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Vincent?"

Vincent Valentine, Sephiroth's personal assistant stood by the doorway, holding out a black cashmere robe that was almost as dark as his hair. "I hate to bother you, but the Paris office is on the line, and they claim to have rather pressing news."

Sephiroth sighed and walked over to meet his assistant. "Damn Parisians. What could they want at this hour of the day? They had better not be backing out of this deal. It took ages for my people to perfect that contract." He absently allowed Vincent to help him into his robe.

Riku watched, his dislike for the man barely contained. _He makes me sick. The way he fawns over him. He's practically drooling, even now. _"Fucker." he muttered.

"Riku," Sephiroth announced.

"Yes sir?" Riku answered, innocently.

"I must take this call. I trust that you can find your way back to your room and amuse yourself until dinner?" Sephiroth asked mildly.

Riku snorted. "Don't worry about me. Besides if I get too bored, I'm sure Vincent will come and entertain me."

Vincent gave him a look that suggested he wouldn't mind that one bit. "I'm not a babysitter. If you'd like, I'm sure I could fetch you one, though. A young girl, perhaps?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Heaven forbid. Then we'll have a paternity suit on our hands." He walked off, his business demeanor shifted fully back into place. "Until dinner, then."

Vincent stared at Riku appreciatively for a long moment and then followed Sephiroth.

Riku shuddered and stood up. _That was creepy. How the hell did he end up with red eyes, anyway?! _Gathering his towel, he left the natatorium, wincing as the cool air of the house reached his skin. Goosebumps stood out on his arms as he quickly made his way down the hallway. He glanced briefly at his father's office, noting that Sephiroth was as usual too engrossed in his phone call to notice the look Vincent was giving him, and hurried past, heading up the spiral staircase. He reached his room on the left wing of the house, and went inside, sighing. _I miss my real room. _He plopped down on the king sized bed, and stared up at the canopy, thinking. _I wonder what Sora is doing right now? _He closed his eyes, calling upon his memory to provide him with a mental image of his last encounter with Sora. The thought of owning Sora still sent shivers across his skin, and he opened his eyes lazily. _I can't wait to get back._

Sora sat on his bed, propped against the headboard, watching Kairi apprehensively. The girl had rushed into his room as though she had urgent news, but she merely stood by the bed, holding two shopping bags and grinning at him. He was just glad that he'd beaten her home. He didn't even want to think about what would've happened if she'd seen Squall drop him off. Luckily enough, his mom had been in the bathroom when he got back, and only asked the cursory questions about how his day had been, allowing him to keep his lies to a minimum. _Kairi though, she might be a challenge._

"I'm back." Kairi said, stating the obvious.

"Did you have fun at the mall?" Sora asked, not really interested.

Kairi nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, it was the best! Selphie and her friends are really funny. We spent the entire time walking around, looking at boys, and making jokes." She laughed. "We hardly bought anything, which is good, because I don't have any money. I did get this really cool necklace though." She reached into her Claire's bag and pulled out a long silver chain, attached to which was a star-shaped pendant in shades of pink and yellow.

Sora gave it an appreciative glance. "It's nice."

Kairi shrugged. "It's supposed to be some kind of love charm." She giggled. "The display said that it was a replica of the mystical Papou, and that if you give it to someone you love, you'll be bound together forever." She rolled her eyes playfully. "We all bought one as a joke. I think it's pretty silly, but it still looks really cool."

Sora looked at it again. The charm almost seemed to glow with an inner luminescence that was warm and soothing. The glitter caught the light and sparkled brightly. _It is cool. But I'm not a girl, and I wouldn't want to be caught dead with one of those. _"Yeah, that does sound silly." Sora agreed. "Did you buy anything else?"

Kairi flushed and stammered. "Well yeah, I bought some thongs from Victoria's Secret, but I didn't think you wanted to see those… Um, they're in this bag here-"

Kairi wears thongs?! Eww!!! Sora immediately yelped and put up a hand. "No, no. By all means, keep those things far away from me."

Kairi giggled. "No problem-o." She set her bags on the floor and flopped down on his bed, her legs crossed behind her, as she propped herself up on her elbows. "So, what did you do today?"

"Me?" Sora asked, taken aback. "Well, I…" _Spent the entire day with the love of my life. Gah, I can't tell Kairi that! She wouldn't understand. _He tried to sound nonchalant. "Nothing much. I just walked downtown and wandered around all day. You know, browsing through stores and stuff."

"Oh," Kairi replied, disappointed. "Why didn't you at least go see a movie or something?"

"Because…" _I got sidetracked by the incredibly gorgeous Squall Leonhart. _"I didn't really feel like it." Sora lied.

"Uh huh." Kairi raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You know, I don't think you're telling me the truth."

"Why would you say that?!" Sora asked, panicked.

Kairi grinned. "Because you're a terrible liar, Sora. Even when we were kids. Remember, when you used to pull the heads off of my Barbie dolls, and then when Grandma asked you about it, you'd always say you didn't know anything. But you were always so obvious." She grinned mischievously. "Just like now. So spill it."

Sora eyed her warily. "I guess you caught me. But still, I don't think I can tell you."

Kairi sat up. "Come on, Sora. I'm your cousin, I've known you, like, forever. Don't flake out on me." She pouted. "It's not like I'm gonna tell anybody."

Sora sighed. _Here goes nothing. _"I ran into my crush downtown, and we spent the day hanging out, and then I came home. That's it."

Kairi squealed. "That is definitely not it!" She tugged on Sora's sleeve, her eyes imploring. "I need details! I mean, I didn't even know you had a crush! Who is she? Does she go to our school? What does she look like? What is she like as a person? How long have you known her?"

Sora gave up on trying to answer the barrage of questions Kairi was shooting at him, and just waited for her to finish. _Geez, are all girls like this?_

Eventually Kairi calmed down and glared at him. "You didn't answer a single question, you know."

Sora shrugged. "I couldn't. You didn't give me time to get a word in." He scratched his head. "Well, um… No, you don't know them, they aren't a student at our school, they have dark hair, and I'm not really sure what they're like, because I haven't known them that long." _Also, it's a he, not a she, but I don't think I have to tell all that just yet._

Kairi sighed dramatically. "Sheesh, you're so secretive." She twirled a strand of auburn hair. "It's like, I hardly know anything about you nowadays. But I know everything about your friend, Riku." She wrinkled her nose. "What a jerk."

Sora blinked. _What did Riku ever do to Kairi? Oh well, he hasn't exactly been friendly to her. _"Riku is just his own person. He's kind of hard for most people to get."

"Well, what Selphie told me is that he's basically a slut who will do it with anyone, anytime, anyplace." Kairi explained. "She even said that the only reason he hasn't asked me out yet is because you're his best friend."

Sora nodded. "That probably is true," he admitted reluctantly. "But he's still a good person." _Stand by your man, _he thought.

"Maybe." Kairi replied, seeming to lose interest. "I'd better put up my stuff, so I can get some dinner before your mom puts it away." She climbed off the bed and gathered her bags. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Sora answered. He watched Kairi leave, and then relaxed back against the pillows, closing his eyes. _Squall… _It had been hours since Squall had dropped him off and left, but it barely felt like five minutes had passed. He hadn't been able to get Squall Leonhart out of his mind despite his best efforts. The feel of his warm form pressed against him on the motorcycle was one that he couldn't seem to shake. _And they way he looked at me, back in his apartment…_ Sora shuddered, remembering. _I'd been so close… to what, I'm not sure, but whatever it was, it was great._ He sighed. _I wonder what Squall's doing, and whether he's thinking about me?_

That was… refreshing, Squall thought, leaving the bathroom. He walked leisurely into the living room, the black towel resting faithfully around his waist. He sat down on the couch and relaxed, his body still thanking him silently for the simple joy he'd allowed it. A shudder coursed through him and he sighed, still feeling somewhat deviant for giving into his fantasies like that. _Shit, what else could I do, though? _When he'd walked Sora to his door, Sora had squirmed out of his jacket in a way that should've been illegal, and given Squall a tentative hug that was still close enough that he could map all the contours of the younger male's body. Ages of pent-up frustration had awakened in Squall an arousal so demanding that he had to either go straight home and pleasure himself, or seize Sora and commit a felony. He had elected to obey the legal system, and fled for the solitude of his apartment, marching straight into the shower, whereupon he gave into the darkest, most desperate desires of his soul.

Now he sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair, trying to reconcile how it was possible that he was not just mildly attracted to, but dangerously aroused by Sora's very presence. _I just don't understand it. It's not like he's some sex symbol with bedroom eyes, like his little boyfriend. _Squall grudgingly admitted that Riku was rather good-looking, but it didn't evoke any reaction in him whatsoever, except for irritation and contempt. Sora on the other hand, was not what anyone would call stunning. _Well, except for when he stands a certain way, with his head at an angle… or when the sunlight hits his hair and makes it shine like cinnamon glass… or when he's gazing back at me with that look that sends a thunderbolt straight to my hormones. _Squall shook his head. _Okay, so Sora is what I call stunning, but still… I've known lots of attractive people, and I've never wanted to jump on any of them. _He winced. _Okay, except for maybe Cloud, but I was young and stupid, and I didn't know any better. _He smirked and wondered with wry amusement whether it had anything to do with the fact that they both had blue eyes. _Heh, maybe I'm just a sucker for big baby blues. But then, Sora's eyes aren't really baby blue, they're more like sapphires… And then Rinoa… she had dark brown eyes._ Squall's brow furrowed. _It had been different with her. _He couldn't ever remember feeling any urgent passion for Rinoa. He had truly loved her, but his love for her was based on her enduring sweetness and strength of character. _All truth be told, she was pretty average until you got to know her. Only then did she seem to glow with beauty. _Squall realized that many of the things he'd admired about Rinoa were present in Sora. _…Along with this new thing, this scary thing… this lust thing._

The sound of the key turning in the lock earned his attention. Before he could move, the door opened and he found himself staring back at blue eyes. Baby blue.

"Oh, that is revolting!" announced Cloud. He fell into the apartment with exaggerated pain. "I'm going to be blind!" He pretended to writhe on his back and claw at his eyes.

With an air of disgust, Squall rose and walked over to the door, quickly closing it, before any concerned neighbors came to see what all the fuss was about. He kicked Cloud playfully in his ass, sending him sprawling, and stepped gracefully over his body. "Your antics are as usual, too stupid to be funny."

Cloud climbed to his feet and gave him an offended glance. "You're the one sitting on your coach half naked, with only a towel and the grace of God protecting me from permanent trauma."

"That's right." Squall shot back. "My couch, in my living room, in my apartment. I pay the rent here and my name is on the lease. If I want to walk around completely exposed, I can." He shrugged, and then smirked mischievously. "Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before."

Cloud paled. "Oh ugh, don't remind me." He brushed past Squall, careful not to look at any more of his nakedness than he had to. "What do you have to eat in here?" he asked, making his way into the kitchen.

Squall followed him, knowing it would make the blonde uncomfortable. "For you, I've been saving something really special. You'll find it in the trashcan, of course."

Cloud pointedly flipped up his middle finger. "Damn, would you look at that. It just shot right up. Sorry." He picked up a decimated loaf of wonder bread and shook it at Squall. "Hey man, I think you need to go grocery shopping."

Squall shook his head. "I already did. I went today."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "And someone as anal as you forgot to get something as important as bread? You're slipping, man."

"I bought that today." Squall answered defensively. "Those slices are all that's left."

"What?" Cloud asked, incredulous. He looked at the remains of what had once been a full and proud loaf. "What'd you do? Have a bread feast?"

Squall blanched. There was no way in hell he could tell Cloud the truth about what had happened to the bread. _He wouldn't understand. _"I wanted some sandwiches." _Which isn't entirely untrue._

Cloud snorted. "You continue to eat them like that, and you're going to develop a case of gluteus giganticus, also known as extremely fat ass."

Heh. Squall stretched sensually, and barely managed to keep from laughing at the horrified expression on Cloud's face. "I challenge you," he drawled. "To find so much as an inch of fat anywhere on this body. Here, I'll even let you see what's behind the towel." He lifted the towel.

"No thanks!" Cloud objected quickly. He shielded his eyes with a hand, and turned to the fridge. "Gah, I hate it when you're in a good mood. I like you better when you're the living dead. At least then, I know what to expect." He bristled at Squall's laughter. "And for the love of all that is pure and good, please go and put on some clothes!"

"Aww, you sound just like your girlfriend." Squall teased, before turning and walking out of the kitchen. He made his way to his bedroom, reflecting on Cloud's words. _I am in a good mood. Although I'm not quite sure why._ Sora's face flashed briefly into his mind, as he pulled on some boxers. _Okay, I take that back. I'm in a good mood, because I got myself off while thinking about doing unspeakable things to one of my students. _He sighed and pulled a black t-shirt and pair of gray sweatpants out of his dresser. _I am a sick man. _Feeling disgusted with himself, but incredibly sated just the same, he walked back into the kitchen, stopping when he saw his former roommate leering back at him from a stool. "What the hell are you smirking at?" he asked warily.

"I figured it out." Cloud said, knowingly. "It all came to me when you mentioned my girlfriend. I figured out why the entire loaf of bread is gone, why you're in such a good mood, and why you were sitting around half-naked." The smirk was all-encompassing. "You got some."

"Some what?" Squall asked, not quite comprehending. _What is this fool going on about now?_

"Some ass." Cloud replied. "Don't deny it. There's too much evidence against you." He leaned forward. "So, who was she?"

Well, he was a student, although technically I didn't do anything to him, except undress him with my eyes. "Who was who?" Squall questioned, trying to think up a way to kill the conversation altogether. _Shit…_

Cloud rolled his eyes. "The woman you had sex with. Who else?"

"Who said it was a woman?" Squall suggested. _That should do it._

It worked. Cloud's face fell immediately. "Never mind. This subject is no longer open for discussion." He turned back to the leftover spaghetti he'd found in the fridge.

Squall pulled up a stool beside him. "Why? Don't you want to hear all the sordid details? About how I caressed his-"

"No." Cloud interrupted. "You can take those details and keep them to yourself, while I pretend that I didn't know about any of it. Every time I remember that you're bi, it's like learning it for the first time, and- Ack! You get your hands off me!" He leaned too far to the side, misjudging the distance and slapping his head on the edge of the counter before sliding off his stool.

Squall sighed and shook his head. "I swear, you get hurt so much in here, I'm beginning to think it's just some sort of plot to sue me and get rich."

Cloud groaned and climbed back onto his stool. "Like you have any money, you broke bastard." He resumed eating his spaghetti. "Speaking of no money, how's your career in teaching going, anyway?"

Squall stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. "It's going." he answered truthfully. "Where to, I'm not sure yet. So far, it's mostly okay. There are a few thorns in my ass, but I'm dealing with them in my own way."

"Uh huh." Cloud said, around a mouthful of noodles. "So how many of the little brats have you punched out yet?"

Squall shot him a look. "I'm far more patient than you give me credit for. Although there has been one kid that I wouldn't mind strangling, but I try not to let it show too much. I'm sure the feeling is mutual."

Cloud winced. "Damn. Are there any kids that you get along with?"

Squall smiled. "Well yes. There's one of them, who's really bright, well-mannered, and just an overall good kid. He gives me hope for the new generation."

"Watch it." Cloud snickered. "You almost sound like you have a crush."

Squall turned deathly serious. "That's not even funny. He's only sixteen, for God's sake." _Not like that stops me from wanting to sleep with him._

Cloud shrugged. "Get over yourself. Have you watched the news lately? People never let a little thing like age stop them. Ask R. Kelly."

"Alright, that was uncalled for." Squall snapped, his heart pounding. _If anyone knew…_

"Oh calm down." Cloud admonished. "I was just saying. I'm sure that if I came up to that high school, I'd probably find a few lovely young ladies to observe. But that's all you can do, is look. Especially you, since you could get fired even for looking."

Squall needed to change the subject. "If I ever see you anywhere near that school, I'm calling Aerith. Where is her eminence, anyway?"

"Bible retreat, remember?" Cloud replied. "I just narrowly escaped getting caught. Thankfully my cell phone was turned off that night, or I would've caved in to the pressure and told her where I was at."

"If anyone needs to be at that bible retreat, it's you, Strife." Squall climbed off the stool and yawned. "I'm beat as hell. I'm going to make an early night of it."

Cloud blinked. "Now? It's not even nine yet. That guy must've laid the hell out of you."

Squall smirked. "I can tell you all about it, if you'd like."

"Nah, that's alright." Cloud amended. "You go on and get some rest, lover boy. I'll clean up in here when I'm done."

"You'd better." Squall replied, as he left the kitchen. He entered his bedroom and closed the door. Sighing, he stripped down to his boxers. _I shouldn't have even bothered getting dressed. _He folded his hardly-worn clothes and replaced them in the dresser. _I'll wear those when I lounge around the house tomorrow. _He reclined onto the bed, thinking. _It's going to be so boring tomorrow. I can't wait until Monday. _The thought gave him mixed feelings. _I never thought I'd find myself looking forward to a Monday, but then, I never thought I'd find myself lusting over someone eleven years younger than me, either. _He folded an arm behind his head and looked up at the ceiling, still puzzling over his unexplainable desire for Sora. _Not like it's even a valid, what-if-he-was-18, lust. He has a boyfriend, and a damned hot one at that. Fuck it. _He rolled onto his side and sat up slightly, reaching for the bottle of sleeping pills on his nightstand. He took two with a sip from the bottle of water he always kept by the bed, turned off the lamp, and laid back down. _At least it'll be a dreamless sleep._

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****

Notes: Poor Squall. He needs a cold shower.

Riku: He needs a kick in the ass, that's what he needs!

Squall: Go tell it to a wall, punk.

-Gentlemen please! Don't be so childish. Crass insults are no way to settle a disagreement. I think that the only mature thing to do under the circumstances, is for the two of you, to get naked, and do some hot oil wrestling.

Riku:… O.o

Squall:… -.-

-What? What'd I say?

Riku: Well, that _would_ be mature.

Squall: Too mature for fan fiction net , if I dare say so myself.

-Join us next time, when we play Who Wants to Be a Terms of Service Violator?

Riku: Really?! I'm going to get some from Sora?!

Plot: Hardly. You're not going to get any action until the Yankees win the Super Bowl, boy.

Riku: But the Yankees are a baseball team!!! Is the Plot telling the truth?! I'll shrivel up and die!

Squall: Heh, just like beef jerky.

-I'll never tell. But yes, yes. Time for questions!

1. Safeway? Is that Australian?

-It could be. I just know that we have them here on the East Coast of the US.

2. Will Sora ever get to meet Cloud?

-I'm planning on it, unless Cloud gets a concussion first.

3. By the way who does Sora love/like more Riku or Squall?

-Sora doesn't love either of them at this point. Right now he feels a deep friendly bond to Riku, but he is romantically drawn to Squall. Of course, he is physically attracted to both of them, because they are both so damn hot.

Riku: (poses)

Squall: (flexes)

-Ack! (falls over and dies)


	12. Emotional Rollercoaster

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

****

Author's Note: After a lovely weekend Sora returns to school. Fun ensues!

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Sora walked briskly down the deserted school halls, his mind not yet fully awake. He had awoken earlier than usual with the intention of having some time alone with his English teacher before class started. Feeling somewhat rotten, he'd tried calling Riku's house, only to get the answering machine. Baffled, but satisfactorily absolved of guilt, he'd dressed quickly, had a few Hot Pockets and left. He wasn't quite sure what he felt, other than anxious, but it seemed as though he was being almost driven to see Squall.

He rounded the corner and blinked, surprised to see that not only was the door open, but the lights were on, and he could hear voices coming from the room. Perturbed, he crept up to the doorway and peered inside.

Squall was standing beside his desk, leaning casually against it and having a conversation with Sephiroth, who was standing in front of the desk and nodding.

"It's like I've always said," Sephiroth stated. "Children need discipline. Without it, they will never make it through the rigors of adult life."

Squall nodded. "I couldn't agree more," he replied, cutting his eyes meaningfully to his left.

Riku sat at his desk, and although Sora couldn't see his face from that angle, he was pretty sure it was unhappy.

Sephiroth laughed dryly. "Yes, he is a bit of a rebel, isn't he? I hope he hasn't been giving you too much trouble."

Squall managed to keep a straight face. "Oh, he's positively an angel. Not a day goes by when I don't expect him to sprout wings and a golden halo."

"That bad, hmm?" Sephiroth queried. "In that case, I'll have to be keeping a closer eye on his academic affairs. His mother, you see…" he turned to his son. "Riku, leave us for a bit."

With a deliberate screeching noise, Riku pushed back his chair and stormed out of the room, his eyes glued to the floor, and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Like I was saying," Sephiroth continued.

Sora watched with disbelief as Riku prepared to walk right past him. "Hey," he called, grabbing his arm. "It's me."

Riku stared at him for a brief moment, and then recognition dawned in his aqua eyes. "Sora…" He looked his friend over with amusement. "What's with the outfit? You look like you're getting ready to go rob people outside some ATM."

Sora flipped back the hood of his black sweatshirt and grinned. "Well, we can't always dress as well as you do. Are those new clothes?"

Riku groaned and rolled his eyes. He spun around reluctantly, showing off his black slacks and emerald green sweater. "Dad bought it for me on Saturday. At Bloomingdale's, no less." He grimaced. "I think I saw your ditzy cousin by the mall entrance, too."

Sora nodded. "Kairi went to the mall with Selphie and her friends."

Riku smirked. "I always thought that Kairi had a smidgen of the sluttish about her."

"Watch it." Sora scowled. He reached out and tentatively stroked Riku's sleeve. "Cool. That feels really soft."

"It's cashmere." Riku explained. "You too can own one, all for the low price of five hundred dollars."

Sora gaped. "Are you serious?! You know how many sweaters you could've gotten from Wal-Mart with that kind of money?"

Riku wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, don't even think about it. JC Penney's maybe, but never Wal-Mart." He lifted his chin and grinned slyly. "Besides, looking this good doesn't come cheap."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just glad you had fun. I was bored out of my mind." _Well, I was on Sunday._

Riku sighed. "It was the same old shit." His eyes softened. "And I really missed you. The entire time, all I could think about was what I was going to do the next time I saw you, and how glad I was that you agreed to be mine."

"Really?" Sora asked, somewhat awed. "That's all you thought about?"

Riku smirked mischievously. "Yeah. Well, that, and what Vincent would look like running around screaming with his hair set on fire."

Sora vaguely remembered Sephiroth's personal assistant. "Ha, does he still look like a vampire?"

"Sora, he **is** a vampire." Riku insisted. He solemnly pointed to a spot on his throat. "I swear, I woke up on Saturday morning, and he was right here, biting my neck. Look, I even have the mark to prove it." He suddenly heard approaching voices and turned around, fully expecting to be bothered.

Sora looked over just as Squall escorted Sephiroth out of the classroom.

"Well," Squall was saying. "I'll certainly keep you posted as to how things are going."

"Please do that." Sephiroth responded. "You have my card now, of course."

"Yes," Squall answered. He shook hands with Sephiroth. "It was nice to meet you, Mr.-?"

"Sephiroth, please." Riku's father replied cordially.

"Of course. It was nice to meet you, Sephiroth." Squall amended. "Squall Leonhart, by the way."

"Grand. I will bid you good day, Squall." Sephiroth said, and then turned to Riku. "As for you, young man, I instruct you to be on your best behavior at all times."

Riku sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.

Sora looked away, wanting to laugh.

Sephiroth smiled at Riku patiently and ruffled his hair, earning a sound of disgust. "I will be seeing you soon. Goodbye Riku. Goodbye Sora." He walked off quickly, his posture impeccable, as always.

Sora? Squall wondered, his eyes falling upon Riku's companion for the first time. He'd hardly noticed Sora, with the way that he seemed completely swallowed up by his sweatshirt and loose-fitting jeans. _I guess I'm just a bit more accustomed to picturing him without his clothes, and oh my God, did I just think that?!? Right here?! _He shook his head. _Get it together Leonhart, it's too early for this shit._ He kept his expression and voice as neutral as possible. "Hello, Sora. What are you doing here so early? And hiding in the hallway with Riku, no less."

Sora opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, Riku cut him off.

"He was making out with me." Riku announced, his tone challenging. He slipped an arm around Sora's waist, pulling him close.

Sora choked. _Sweet Jesus!_

Squall somehow managed to keep from glaring at Riku. _The nerve of this little fuck… _"Well, good for you." he replied, forcing a flippant tone. "You have plenty of time before class starts, so spend it as you wish. Excuse me." He locked his classroom door and brushed past them without saying another word.

"You're excused." Riku said with mock sweetness.

Sora groaned. _That does it. So much for Squall's respect for me._

Squall marched into the faculty bathroom, his mood darkening. He clenched the edges of the sink and tried not to give into the unexplainable rage that was coursing through his blood. _Okay, I already knew about Sora and Riku. He told me Saturday. So, why am I acting so immature? _He closed his eyes, needing to remain lucid. _I mean, okay, so I want to fuck him forty ways from Sunday, but that's irrelevant. It'll never happen, there's no chance of it happening, so I have no reason to be jealous of Riku… And oh hell, is that what it really is? Jealousy? _He ran a hand through his hair. _Goddammit, I can't believe that I am jealous of some high school kid, because I want to lay his boyfriend. _"This is unbelievable!" he muttered. He sneezed, and then massaged his temples, which had begun to throb. _And to top it all off, I feel like shit. I think I'm coming down with something. Must've been from riding without my jacket. But then, better for me to get sick than Sora. _He sneezed again, and washed his hands. _Well, all I have to do is make it through the day, and I can go home and pass the fuck out until tomorrow morning. _His course of action decided, he dried his hands and left the bathroom.

Sora sat through the English class tensely, his nerves in disarray. Squall hadn't looked at him once since class started, and he was feeling slightly dejected. He couldn't even bring himself to get mad at Riku, who hadn't given a damn either way.

"Fuck him if he's homophobic." Riku had said after Squall had walked off. "Like I give a shit what he thinks about us."

But I don't think he's homophobic, Sora thought. _He's too intelligent for that. _He sighed and shot a glance at Squall, who ignored him as he expected. He resigned himself. _I'd better forget about it for now. Maybe I can come back and talk to him after school._

Squall found himself counting down the minutes until dismissal. His symptoms had grown worse, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep up appearances. _I'll just make it until lunch, and then I'm getting the hell out of here. _He felt Sora's eyes on him, and staunchly avoided returning his gaze. _That's the last thing I need right now. Besides… _He tentatively glanced at Riku and was rewarded with a grin that was bursting with sadistic glee. _I don't even know why the hell he keeps grinning at me. If he knew that I wanted to take Sora to bed, he wouldn't be grinning. He'd be calling the police. _He heard the ringing of the bell and sighed with relief. _Finally. _"No homework." he announced, much to the joy of the students. "Just read over the assignment and make sure you understand it."

The students gathered their books and moved out the door. After glancing back at Squall, Sora followed them. _Oh well. _He walked to his locker and opened it, fetching the books he needed for the next class. He was aware of Riku's presence beside him, hearing the opening and closing of his locker, but it didn't really register until Riku tapped him on his shoulder.

Sora closed his locker and turned around to look at him. Something in Riku's eyes unsettled him, and he looked around fearfully, noting how crowded the hall was at the moment. _Please don't let him try any funny stuff. _"Yeah? What is it?"

"Sora," began Riku. "I think it's time the other students knew." He leaned in close, effectively trapping Sora with his body.

"Knew what?" Sora squawked, mortified. _What is he going to do now?!_

This. Riku kissed him passionately, parting his lips and probing the soft recesses of his mouth with his tongue. His fingers worked their way under his shirt, and he brushed his knuckles along the bare skin of Sora's sides. He swallowed the soft sounds of pleasure he elicited, his mind spinning at the way Sora shuddered against him. With great effort he pulled back for air and planted a chaste kiss on Sora's forehead. "That you belong to me." he murmured, gazing into his eyes.

Sora blushed, and tried to look away, but Riku held his chin gently.

"You don't ever have to be ashamed." Riku whispered forcefully. "Nobody has what we've got going for us. Nobody ever will. Romeo and Juliet couldn't even touch us." He stroked Sora's cheek. "Our love is one of the great ones. So hold your head up high, Sora."

Easier said than done, Sora thought, glancing around hesitantly. A few of the students had the good taste to pretend to be oblivious of their public display of affection. The rest however, were either staring open-mouthed or talking excitedly, setting the gossip chain in motion. He idly wondered what his teachers would think. _Especially Squall…_

"Hey Sora, are you even listening to me?" Riku asked, pouting. "I don't think you are. I guess I'll just have to do something to get your attention." He brushed his knee against the curve of Sora's groin.

Sora's eyes widened. "Riku!" he choked. "What the hell are you doing?"

Riku smirked. "I just wanted to make sure I had your attention." He raised an eyebrow. "So, I'll see you at lunch, right?" He shifted his knee again.

"Okay, yeah, whatever you say!" stammered Sora, trying to meld into the locker. "Just stop doing that before you embarrass me!" _Too late… _Some of the students were now running around with their hands over their faces, trying not to laugh. Sora thought wryly that he'd never been so popular before.

"Embarrass you how?" Riku teased. He leaned in close, lowering his voice so that only Sora could hear him. "By embarrassing you, do you mean, making you get off in front of all these people? Is that what you mean?"

"Something like that." Sora hissed. While he was not too pleased with Riku's display, his body on the other hand, had it's own opinion.

Riku chuckled darkly. "If this is all it takes to get a reaction like that out of you, I must admit, I'm sorely tempted indeed." _He's such an innocent. _"And as everybody knows, the only way to get rid of temptation, is to give into it." He pressed his knee full against Sora's awakening erection, in one long, slow stroke.

Oh shit… Sora arched against him, and was only dimly aware of Riku's lips covering his own, muffling the moan he hadn't been able to hold back. _He's insane! _He slumped helplessly against the locker, his hormones raging.

Riku pulled back, snickering. "You're so much fun to play with, Sora. And you're going to make me late for class."

Sora regained his balance, and watched Riku warily. "You're going to make yourself late for class, not to mention me." He ran a shaky hand through his hair, hoping to restore some order to the spikes. "Are you finished with your little indecencies, or was there some other horrible thing you had in mind?"

Riku smirked. "Oh, just be glad you don't have a change of clothes on hand, or I would've done worse than that."

"And gotten us both expelled." Sora shot back, gathering his book bag. He let out a breath. "I'm going to be messed up for the rest of the day as it is."

"You?" exclaimed Riku. "How do you think I feel? I went the whole weekend without contact, and now this?" He sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to be completely useless in all of my classes."

"Like you weren't already useless in class." Sora teased. He dodged the swipe Riku made in his direction and stuck out his tongue.

"Ooh baby… Is that an invitation?" Riku asked, rolling his hips lewdly.

Sora yelped and clapped a hand over his eyes. "Okay, I'm going now! Later, pervert."

"Later." Riku called, grinning. _That went well. Now everybody in the school knows that Sora is mine._

Sora rushed to his Calculus class, praying that he wouldn't be late. He made it through the doorway just as the bell rang. With an audible sigh of relief, he made his way to his desk and sat down. He heard giggling and flushed. _Okay, so everyone definitely knows why I'm late. I wonder if everybody in the school knows already? And I wonder what Wakka and Tidus will say when they find out?_

It turned out to not be much. Once seated at the lunch table with his chicken strips, Sora merely earned a nod from Wakka.

"I figured it would happen sooner or later, ya." Wakka said, shrugging. "There's going to be a lot of heartbroken girls now that Riku has devoted himself to you, ya."

Tidus waved a hand impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. What I want to know is all the good stuff." He leaned in close, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Did you two, you know, do it?"

Sora gaped at him. "Tidus?!"

Tidus looked innocent. "What? I was just asking the question that's on everybody's minds."

"It's not on my mind, ya." Wakka assured him.

"Nothing's on your mind, you dumb jock." Tidus teased, playfully.

Wakka swept Tidus' notebook off the table. "Oh no! Would you look at that. I'm so clumsy, ya. I couldn't help it."

"I'll bet." Tidus shot back, going to retrieve his notebook. When he sat back down, he returned his attention to Sora. "Seriously, that's all anybody was talking about in all my classes. Did Riku and Sora do it? Are they really a couple, or is it just a prank?" He took a bite of his sandwich. "You two are a hot topic."

Sora blanched. _Yikes! _"Is it really that bad?"

Tidus nodded. "Oh, it's worse."

"Leave him alone," said Wakka. "He's probably had enough excitement for one day, ya."

You have no idea, Sora thought. He looked up as a shadow fell over the table. _I guess Jake didn't think so._

Tall and well-built with black hair and blue eyes, Jake Addison could present a mildly intimidating picture when he wanted to. He was the captain of the football team, and competed with Riku for the position of most popular student. Due to his own reclusive tendencies, Sora had never before had reason to take notice of Jake. Not until he showed up at his lunch table. Suddenly Jake looked a lot bigger and stronger than Sora remembered. "Hi, Jake." he offered.

Jake looked down at him. "I thought I heard something. I guess I was mistaken."

Wakka bristled. "Eh, Jake. What's your problem, ya?"

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you came all the way over here just to stir up shit."

Jake glared at Sora. "Nah. I came to get a good look at the little loser who's been polluting the school with his freak show. All day long, I have to hear about how some fruits have been crawling all over each other in the hallway." He lifted his chin. "It makes me sick to my stomach. And as the president of the Student Council, I think I should do something about it."

"Like you ever think." Tidus snapped. "Get a life, Addison."

"That's right." Wakka agreed. "Lay off, ya."

Jake laughed. "This is ridiculous. As my teammates, you two should support me on this. Especially you, Wakka. That's why I made you co-captain."

Wakka shook his head. "The team and the coach made me co-captain, ya. That was because of my skills. You know I'll support you on the field anytime." He shook his head again. "But on your ignorant behavior? No way, man. You're totally on your own, ya."

Jake glared. "I am not on my own." he snapped, glaring at Sora.

Sora stared back at him in disbelief. _He stands there and acts like he's disgusted by me, but in reality he's hurt because of what he did with Riku. _He started to speak, but thought better of it. _If I call him on it, he'll just deny it. Or better yet, he'll beat the hell out of me. This day has been weird enough already without ending up in the nurse's office. _He sighed. "Look Jake, if I offended you, I'm sorry. I didn't think it was appropriate for school either, and it won't happen again."

Jake recoiled at the kindness in his tone. "You're fucking right it won't happen again." he hissed with vehemence. "Because if it does, I'm going to-"

"You're going to what?" interrupted Riku. "Spend some time in the hospital?" He stepped in front of Jake, unflinching, his eyes cold as ice. "Going to go into the witness protection program? Because I swear, if you lay a hand on Sora, you'll wish you'd never met me."

"I already wish I'd never met you." For an instant hurt seemed to flicker in Jake's eyes and then it was gone. He straightened, and returned Riku's glare. "So just stay out of my way, you fucking queen." He turned and stormed off.

Riku raised an eyebrow. _He's one to talk. _He sat down beside Sora and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late. I had to fend off some distraught cheerleaders." He made mocking hand gestures. "They were all, 'Say it isn't so!', and I just had to tell the bitches to back off." He shrugged.

"Did you talk to Jake before today?" Sora asked suddenly. _If not, then no wonder he's pissed._

Riku rolled his eyes. "What for? I mean, he found out like everybody else. Just because he's the student council president he's supposed to get a special bulletin? Should I have had it put on the morning announcements, do you think?"

Tidus snickered, but Wakka remained quiet, assessing the situation. He had been suspicious of Jake's irrational behavior, and now he thought he knew the cause. _It's even more messed up than I figured, ya._

Sora shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you?" He stood and began to gather his things. _I need to clear my head._

"Get what?" asked Riku, genuinely confused. _I mean, what is his problem? Jake is an asshole, anyway. He knew from the start it was just about the sex. I don't owe him anything._

"Get it, got it, good." Tidus quipped.

"Shut the fuck up, Swiss Miss!" snapped Riku. He turned back to Sora. "Will you at least tell me why you're mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you." Sora protested. "I just need some time to myself."

Riku groaned and laid his face in his hands. "Not even dating a week, and he tells me that he needs some space." He looked up at Sora reproachfully. "What's next? You're going to tell me we should just be friends?" He laid his head down.

Sora sighed. _Typical Riku tantrum. _"I'll see you in sixth period, okay?"

"Whatever." Riku muttered, not looking up.

Wakka watched the exchange warily. Only Tidus seemed unfazed. "Okay, see you later Sora."

Sora waved half-heartedly as he walked off. Several pairs of eyes followed his progress as he left the cafeteria, but he tried his best to ignore them. He knew that Kairi was amongst them, and would no doubt want to talk about it, but he couldn't face her right now. _I need to get away from all this juvenile behavior. _He walked down the hallway towards his English classroom, wondering if Squall would object to his presence. _We haven't really spoken to one another since Saturday, and he didn't seem too eager to talk to me today…_ He peeked into the classroom. "Hey," he began hesitantly.

A beautiful brown-haired woman looked up from her novel. She smiled at him warmly. "Hello there. If you're from my next class, you're a bit early."

"Oh," said Sora. "I already had this class today. I was just looking for Mr. Leonhart." He shifted uneasily. _What's going on? Why is Miss Belle here? _He recognized the woman as a substitute teacher that had taught a few of his classes before. Ordinarily he would be glad to see her, but not if it meant that something had happened to Squall.

"I see," Belle said, standing. She titled her head to the side. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but he left early. He was feeling rather ill, and so I'm here in his place."

"Oh no," Sora moaned. _He really is sick. It's all my fault for wearing his jacket when he drove me home Saturday. I wonder if he's okay. _He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up.

"Don't worry," Belle murmured, her voice comforting. She gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that he will be alright, and back to work in no time. Especially with dedicated students like yourself wishing for his recovery." She straightened and glanced at the clock. "Well then, you'd better hurry along to your next class. Lunch will be dismissed soon."

"You're right." Sora replied. "Thank you." He left the room with no intention of going to his next class. _I'm going to go see Squall._

Nervous, he crept slowly down the hallway, wondering if he could really go through with it. _Kids skip school all the time. Tidus does it every other day. Surely I can do it just this once? _He ducked into the bathroom as he heard approaching footsteps. He waited until they passed and then gathered his nerve. _Okay, I can do this. I wouldn't be a teenager if I couldn't cut class just once. But I bet no one ever leaves school to go see their teachers._ His mind decided, he darted out of the bathroom and moved silently down the hall. He made a quick stop at his locker to fetch his sweatshirt and ditch his books, then continued on his way. Before he knew it, he was out of the main doors and down the sidewalk. He looked back once, sure that he was caught, but no one was there. _I made it._

This must be a dream, Squall thought, watching Rinoa laugh at something Seifer had said. _It has to be. I know this dream, because I have it every night. _He was in the backseat of Seifer's Pontiac, watching as the blonde teen steered the car recklessly through the wet streets, while Rinoa sat in the passenger seat, unconcerned. Squall watched the dream with a sort of curious detachment. _In a moment, he will turn around to argue with me. _Sure enough, Seifer turned around and yelled at Squall. He had long since forgotten the exact words, so that what came out was a jumbled incoherent mess, but it didn't matter. Squall knew that the outcome would be the same, it was always the same. _Rinoa will scream, and then we will crash._ Rinoa shrieked, and clawed at the steering wheel. Seifer turned back to the road but it was too late. Squall braced himself for the impact, and then it came. The deafening crunch, the powerful jolt to his body as he was flung against the door.

The door!

The window shattered, glass shards cutting his face. Unbearable searing pain like none he'd ever known coursed through him. A sense of vertigo overtook him as the car flipped, rolling onto it's roof.

The door! Someone is at the door!

Sirens were growing louder, ambulances approaching. They'd be too late to save poor Seifer, crushed against the steering wheel. They'd do Rinoa no good, bleeding to death on the wet street. Those sirens were for Squall alone. _Alone… _He was alone again, always alone.

There is someone knocking at the door!

Startled, Squall broke out of his dream, panting. He sat up, shocked to feel the coolness of the leather couch against his skin. The sound of the aquarium brought it all back to him. _I must've passed out when I came in here to fix lunch. I'd only intended to sit for a moment_. He raised a hand to his burning forehead and winced. _I must be worse off than I thought._

Knock, knock, knock.

And who the hell could that be? He wondered, rising slowly. He felt a slight dizziness and moved carefully to the door. _I'll bet it's the Girl Scouts, peddling cookies. With any luck, I'll make them sick and start an epidemic. _He opened the door. "What do you want?" he asked warily.

Sora was standing there, holding a Safeway bag. "Hi." he offered sheepishly.

Squall stared at him, stunned. Several thoughts raced through his mind at once. _What the hell is he doing here? Did he cut class? How did he know I was here? What's in the bag? Does he know how fucking happy I am to see him? Why am I so glad to see him? Does he have any idea how damn good he looks to me right now? _He pressed a hand to his temple, needing to quiet his thoughts. When he felt composed, he looked at Sora again. "What are you doing here?"

Sora fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. "I was worried about you." He averted his eyes. "I went by the classroom during lunch, and the substitute told me that you left. So I went by the store, and then I came here."

Squall leaned against the doorframe for support. _This is entirely unacceptable. _"Look Sora," he began evenly. "I'm a grown man, and I can take care of myself." _That's why I passed out on my own couch._ "What you did was immature and stupid, not to mention reckless. What if somebody saw you? You could get in serious trouble." _I could get in serious trouble. _"Besides, I don't need your help."

Stunned and hurt, Sora stared back at him for a long moment, before lowering his eyes. "Well, if that's how you feel... I'm sorry." _I must've really made him mad, he never talks to me like that. That's how he talks to everybody else. I was a fool to think there was anything special about me. _He straightened. "I guess I'll go home, then."

"Wait," Squall interrupted, not liking the wounded expression on Sora's face. _What am I doing? He's just being human._ "I'm sorry. I feel like such an ass. You risked your hide to make sure that I was still breathing, and here I am, chewing you out for giving a damn." He sighed. "So, what'd you bring me?"

Sora blinked. _So, he's not mad at me then? _"I brought you some Gatorade, some soup, Saltines, and some cough medicine."

Squall nodded, impressed. "You thought of everything." He stepped back and motioned for Sora to enter the apartment, closing the door behind him. He immediately slumped down on the couch, exhausted. _I really am sick. _"How'd you know that I didn't have any medicine?"

Sora shrugged. "You don't strike me as the type of guy to buy cough medicine."

"I'd say that you know me pretty well, then." Squall replied. "Although, I must not know you as well as I thought. Surely your lunch money didn't cover all of that. I never had you pegged for a shoplifter, Sora."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Whatever. My mom always told me to carry twenty dollars on me at all times in case of an emergency. So I used it." He looked Squall over. "I'd say that this qualifies as an emergency."

"Would you then? Thanks for your expert opinion, smartass." Squall teased. He laid back on the couch and yawned.

Sora blinked and then went into the kitchen. _He's acting sort of off. More casual than usual. It must be because he's sick. Maybe he's delirious or something. _He set the bag down on the counter and then began to browse through the cabinets, looking for a pot in which to cook the soup. He found one and set it on the burner. As he opened the soup he found himself thinking about Riku. _I wonder if Squall knows about it? I mean, he couldn't have seen us, could he?_ He blushed at the thought. _I guess I could always ask. _He stirred the soup carefully, feeling the heat rising from it. _And I wonder what Riku will think when he doesn't see me in Physics class._

Squall lay on his back on the sofa, his heart pounding. _I can't believe Sora had the nerve to come see me after Saturday. He must be insane._ He turned as Sora returned to the room, carrying a bowl of soup lined with Saltines and a glass of Gatorade. "Is that for me?" Squall asked, sitting up. _It smells good. I didn't even realize that I was hungry._

Sora smiled. "No, it's for me." He handed the bowl to Squall and set the cup on the coffee table.

Squall started on the soup, eating hungrily. He'd always liked Minestrone, it tasted good even with his dulled senses. He took several gulps of the Gatorade, drinking so much that Sora immediately went to refill his glass.

"Thirsty, huh?" Sora remarked, when he returned with the glass.

"You have no idea." Squall agreed. "I spent the entire morning throwing up between classes. I thought that if I could make it to lunch, I'd be alright, but I ended up leaving right after third period." He resumed his meal. "I just hope… that I can keep this down."

"Well, I'm here with you now." Sora offered warmly. "I didn't even suspect that you were sick."

Squall shrugged. "To be perfectly honest with you, neither did I." He opened the cough medicine and measured it out. With a grimace he drank it and washed it down with Gatorade. _Yuck. Cherry flavored, my ass. Those cherries must've been poisoned. _"I sneezed all day yesterday, but I didn't think much of it. I figured it was allergies or something. I didn't even start feeling really bad until this morning, although it had to have started Saturday night."

Sora's face fell. "I kind of figured that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Squall assured him. "I don't regret anything. I'll be perfectly fine by tomorrow morning. Besides, this little cold is worth it. Without your company, my Saturday would've been considerably less interesting. What did you do after I dropped you off, anyway?"

Sora thought back to his uneventful evening. "Nothing really. I just talked to my cousin for a bit, played some video games, and that's it. What about you?"

I relieved all off the sexual tension that you'd caused me. Squall blushed, previously unaware that he could do such a thing. "I… took a shower, after that I talked to my friend, and then I went to bed."

"Was it the same friend that hit his head on your kitchen floor last week?" Sora asked, genuinely curious.

Squall laughed. "Yes, that's Cloud, alright. In fact, he hit his head again last night, only this time on the kitchen counter."

Sora snickered. "You know, he sounds like a funny guy. What does he look like?"

"Like you, only with blonde hair and lighter eyes." Squall answered. _Not to mention, older._

Sora frowned. "That doesn't sound too appealing." He had a hard time imaging himself as anything other than dark-haired.

"Oh come on. It's not as bad as it sounds." Squall insisted. "There are some pictures of him around here somewhere…" He racked his brain, trying to remember where he had put his old photo album. _I haven't seen that thing in ages. Is it under the bed? Or did I move it to the closet? _"Check the top shelf in that closet over there." he suggested.

Obediently, Sora got up and walked over to the closet. The door opened easily and he stood on his toes to reach the top shelf. He came back with a handful of dust for all of his troubles. "I don't think there's anything up there." he choked.

"Ah shit, it's in that box at the bottom of the closet." Squall corrected. "Hey, I'm sorry." he offered when Sora glared at him. "Come on, I'm a very sick man here."

"I'll bet." Sora muttered, and bent over to continue the search.

Squall's breath caught as he considered the possibilities of such a position. _I could just walk up behind him right now… and pull him back against me…_ His mind went spiraling downwards as he considered various ways to spend his evening. _I wonder if Sora's a screamer or a moaner? He looks like a moaner, but then you never can tell. Damn… I really am a very sick man._

"I found it." Sora announced, standing and putting an end to Squall's fantasies. He brought the glossy tan book over to where Squall sat and curled up beside him. After looking briefly to Squall for permission, he opened the album and began to browse through the pages.

Squall felt his awareness returning as the medicine took effect, and he gladly narrated the album, putting names to the faces, some of which he had all but forgotten, and some that he couldn't forget if he tried. "I'm sure you recognize that loser."

Sora shook his head. "I'm really not surprised to see Coach Cid flipping off the camera." He turned to a photo of a highly attractive blonde man. "Whoa… who's he? He's really cute."

Squall eyed him strangely. "That's Cloud. You know, Mr. Crack His Head Open Every Other Day?"

Sora blinked. "No way. He's hot, he looks nothing like me."

Squall was tempted to tell Sora that he found him quite hot as well, but he quickly threw out the idea. "You need more self-esteem." he said instead, and turned the page. The next page stunned him back into reality, reminding him in one fell swoop of why he could never go back to who he used to be.

Sora regarded the picture with care, his mind sensing that it had been taken at a crucial turning point in Squall's life. It was one of those photo booth strips that cost about five dollars at amusement parks and movie theaters. The first thing that he noticed was the bright red background that suggested a kind of outgoingness that the Squall he knew just didn't have. Then he looked closely at the expressions on the people's faces. Squall was in the middle, his face bearing a frown that was too forced to be real. Leaning against his shoulder was a very pretty girl with dark hair and dark eyes. _She looks kind of like a gypsy_, Sora thought. On Squall's other side was a platinum blond man with eyes that sparkled dangerously. The very last thing that he noticed was how smooth and unblemished Squall's face was in the picture. _He didn't have the scar then, _he realized. _Do I want to know about this? I do. _"Squall," he began. "Who are they?"

Squall was silent for a moment, trying to shake off the ghosts of his past. _How can I tell him, without upsetting him or myself?_ "Well, the guy is the one I told you about, named Seifer. And the girl…" _Haunts me every day of my life. _"Is my former girlfriend, Rinoa."

"Oh…" Sora replied. _He told me that Seifer died, but he never mentioned Rinoa. _"What happened to her?" Somehow he didn't think that she and Squall had broken up.

Squall leaned his head back into the cushions and sighed. It had been so long since he'd brought the story up to anyone, he'd forgotten his usual avoidance speech. _I'll just have to tell it like it is_. "She died in the same car accident that killed Seifer."

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh no…" He looked at the picture again and felt a stinging in his eyes at the thought. _They both look so beautiful, so carefree, so alive. And they were so young._

"It was years ago." Squall continued. He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Heh, it's been so long, some of it has started to fade, all except for the worst of it." He felt a hand on his arm and looked at Sora questioningly.

"You don't have to tell me about it." Sora said. "I shouldn't have asked."

Squall shook his head. "No. I don't mind. It might help this time, actually." He sighed again. "It was right before graduation. I know, because Seifer's parents had bought him this silver sports car to reward him for getting accepted to graduate school. I remember at the time, I was so jealous since Cid couldn't afford to get me anything except a hundred dollars in a Hallmark card, and I knew he had to save and work hard just for that. It all seems so silly now." He relaxed against the cushions, scarcely aware that he had put an arm around Sora, or that Sora had moved closer to him. "Anyway," he continued. "It rained like hell that spring. Anyone with any kind of sense would've known to take it easy on the accelerator in that kind of weather. But then Seifer never had much sense."

Sora remained quiet, his eyes fixed on Squall as he spoke, enraptured.

"We were heading to a U2 concert, believe it or not." Squall continued. "I never cared for them much, but Rinoa and Seifer loved them. We were going to be late because Rinoa took forever to get ready. And Seifer refused to accept fate." _If only he'd known… But fate is fucked up like that. _"I kept bitching at him to slow down, he kept yelling at me to shut up, and Rinoa kept pleading with both of us to stop fighting. In a way I guess you could say we were all responsible. But none of us were expecting what happened next."

"What happened?" asked Sora hesitantly. It was taking all of his willpower not to cry at the desolation in Squall's voice.

Squall spoke with a sort of detachment, reliving the moment over in his mind. "There was a truck. Big eighteen-wheeler. Seifer wasn't paying attention and ran the light. Then… we crashed. Rinoa wasn't wearing her seatbelt and she went through the windshield. Seifer's side took a direct hit from the truck and he was crushed." He closed his eyes, hearing the sirens and the screams. "At some point during the accident, the car flipped over, and I was trapped inside. I could feel Seifer's blood dripping on me, but that wasn't the worst. The worst was that I looked out through the shattered glass, and I saw Rinoa, not more than twenty feet away, and she was alive." He shuddered. "And I couldn't get to her. I had to watch her bleed to death on the street, right in front of me." He sighed and opened his eyes, forcing all of the gruesome imagery back into the depths from which it came.

Sora swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry… That is the saddest thing I've ever heard."

Squall squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I hardly ever think about it anymore." _I hardly ever think about anything anymore. _"It was ages ago. I've moved on." _More lies. _"I can cope."

"You weren't seriously hurt in the accident at all?" Sora asked, feeling slightly more composed.

Squall shrugged. "I pretty much walked out of it uninjured. The doctors said it was a miracle. Cid said that my father must've been Satan himself." _Still… _"But I didn't get away completely unmarked. There was glass everywhere, and a few pieces got me pretty good." he explained.

"And that's how you got that scar on your face." Sora said, with dawning realization. His eyes went to Squall's face, seeing the scar in a new light. _It must hurt him so much to look in the mirror everyday and be reminded of what he's lost._

Squall laughed halfheartedly. "Yeah, I got a beauty mark. Except when I say beauty mark, what I really mean is hideous deformity." He forced another laugh, hating the false sound of it, but dreading the silence. Reluctantly he glanced at Sora, chagrined to see that he was staring at his face with a frightening intensity. "Don't stare at it too long, Sora. You'll give yourself nightmares." he joked weakly.

"You shouldn't talk about yourself that way." Sora scolded, still staring at his face. _I wonder… _"Can I touch it?" he asked suddenly.

The words coming from Sora in such a bold tone gave Squall a start. His mind careened into the gutter. _Now, I know damn well that's not what he meant. _He raised an eyebrow. "Touch what?" he questioned suspiciously.

"Your scar." Sora answered. He looked at Squall oddly. "What else would I be talking about?"

"Why in the hell would you want to touch my scar?" Squall asked, dodging Sora's question. _Okay, so that's what he meant. Whew._

"I just want to know what it feels like." Sora replied innocently.

Well shit… Squall gave up on his losing battle with thinking pure thoughts. _I'm already so emotionally charged from the story. This situation has the potential to go wrong in an instant. I should tell him hell no, and to keep his hands, feet, and other objects to himself._ He shrugged. "As you wish."

Hesitantly, Sora reached out a hand and laid it on Squall's face. The skin was warm, a little bristly from where it had been shaved, and very comforting to the touch. "No, don't." he pleaded when Squall began to pull away. "Please, let me just… this…" Sora traced his fingertips along the line of the scar, feeling its design. It felt as though it belonged there, and Sora realized that he could not imagine Squall without it.

"Sora, you probably shouldn't be doing that." Squall warned, in what he hoped was a steady voice. _Too late… _The touch of Sora's gentle hand on his face was evoking feelings within him that he preferred to deal with on quiet nights when no one else was within hearing distance. A slow ache began in his stomach, tightening his abs and sending heat throughout his body. "Look Sora, I…" Squall took a sharp intake of breath as Sora's thumb brushed over his lips briefly. The touch was feather-light but it was enough to spark a fire in his nerve endings that trailed all the way down to his toes. Squall felt a faint reaction in his loins and noticed with some trepidation that Sora was still touching him. _He affects me so fast, it's terrifying._

"You have no reason to be self-conscious of your face." Sora assured him, still stroking Squall's cheek. "I think it's perfect even with the scar. It makes it better, really. It's more realistic that way."

Squall's eyes closed. _Sora, I cannot focus on a single word you're saying._ He was almost completely unaware of what he was doing as he drew Sora's thumb between his lips.

"And if you didn't have it…" Sora's words trailed off when he felt Squall's teeth clamp down softly onto his thumb. His breath began to quicken and he realized the nature of Squall's action. A shiver went through him as Squall brushed his tongue lightly against his thumb, before sucking on it suggestively. Sora let out a sound that was trapped somewhere between a yelp and a squeak.

Squall opened his eyes. It took a moment for his overworked senses to register that he had Sora's thumb between his teeth, and his face wore an unreadable expression. _Ack! _Mortified, he released Sora's hand and scrambled backwards on the couch. _Christ! I was… he almost made me… I thought I had more self-control than that. _He cleared his throat. "Sora," he began thickly, "I apologize for that." He ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "That's never happened before. Not too many people can even get a reaction out of me."

Sora flushed as the true implications of those words hit him. _I was turning him on?! Me?! _"Whoa, I didn't even know it was that serious." He looked away, blushing. "I mean, all I did was touch your lips."

"All you did?!" replied Squall in disbelief. "Sora, do you have any idea how that feels?"

"No." answered Sora honestly. "No one has ever done it to me."

Squall hesitated. Danger bells were going off in his mind as he considered. He knew he shouldn't do it, but his body practically demanded retribution for its own state of arousal. With a sense of self-reproach, he raised his hand and laid it on Sora's cheek.

Sora started at the contact but didn't pull away, blue eyes questioning, but unafraid.

Slowly, Squall moved his thumb to where the curve of Sora's bottom lip began. As he brushed over its warm surface, he couldn't help noticing how soft it was.

While Squall's thumb caressed his lips with agonizing slowness, Sora's thoughts raced. _I can't believe this is really happening… What would Kairi say if she knew… What would Riku think if he found out… Do I really care anymore?_ Sora welcomed the fog that silenced his thoughts as Squall's gentle ministrations continued. Closing his eyes, he leaned fully into Squall's hand. All at once, the caress ended, and Sora let out a mewl of frustration before he could stop himself. Opening his eyes, he looked at Squall with confusion.

Squall had been growing more conscious of his considerably lessening hold on self-restraint as he watched Sora respond to his simplest touch. It became entirely too easy to imagine himself claiming Sora on the spot, doing unspeakable things with his tongue, fingers, and other anatomy until they were both sated. With superhuman effort he had retreated, the resulting whine of Sora's disapproval almost making him reconsider. _Almost. _Sora was regarding him with a look that said 'Why did you stop?' Squall very well couldn't tell him the truth, which was that if he didn't stop now, he soon wouldn't have been able to. Instead, he cleared his throat and lied. "Well, that's all there is to it. Now you know what it feels like to have that done to you."

As if in a trance, Sora raised his own fingers to his lips, a dazed look in his eyes. "That was too cruel." he murmured in a husky voice that gave Squall's hormones quite a jump-start.

Sora's body was raging with an undeniable purpose, leaving him at the mercy of his instincts. Almost absently, his eyes wandered back to Squall's lips, where all this trouble had begun. A thought took shape in his mind. One single goal, that once achieved would end the fog and return rational thought to him. _Kiss him. _Sora knew it was risky, but all things considered, he didn't think he really had a choice. He would kiss Squall, and then maybe the almost savage hold he'd held over him since day one would finally be broken. _But can I do it? _Sora licked his lips nervously. _It's worth a shot…_

Squall ran a hand through his hair again, a habit born of nervousness, and tried to think of something to say. _Surely I owe him an explanation, an apology or something… this is all getting way out of hand._ With faltering reserve, Squall forced himself to look directly at his guest.

Now or never! Steeling his nerves, Sora leaned forward and pressed his lips to Squall's. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. _I just want this moment. That's not asking too much, I hope_. Blindly, he reached out an arm to steady himself, and felt a lurch in his chest when his hand came to rest on one muscular thigh. _Eep! _He dared not open his eyes now, terrified of the look he would be treated to. Squall would undoubtedly throw him out and never speak to him again. What he was doing was well beyond unacceptable. _But… _Sora committed it all to memory, the warm and somewhat sandy texture of Squall's lips against his own, the heat of the firm fabric-clad thigh beneath his palm, and the practiced feel of Squall's fingers roaming through his hair. _Wait… Fingers in my hair?! What?!_ Breathless, Sora pulled away, and opened his eyes.

Squall didn't release his hold on his hair, and immediately lowered his face to Sora's again, lips brushing against the line of his jawbone, before sliding to the curve of his neck. "Sora," he murmured softly against his skin. "I'm so sorry."

Sora gasped at the feel of his breath so close, and tightened his grip on Squall's thigh, earning a low sound of approval. His heart was beating even faster now, and his mind reeled. A feeling of unparalleled joy arose within him. _I can't believe this is happening!_ Instinctively, he tilted his head back, giving Squall better access to his throat.

Squall slipped an arm around Sora's back and held him tightly as he drew kisses along the side of his neck. His other hand twined sensuously in his hair. It took all of his self-control to keep from panting like an animal as Sora succumbed to his touch. _This is so wrong… _He grazed his fingertips across Sora's bare skin under his shirt and the sheer smoothness of it clouded his mind. Fiercely, he returned his attentions to Sora's lips, shuddering when he felt Sora's tongue tentatively meet his own. He lapped at it with bold strokes, mimicking the deeper need of his lust, and challenging Sora to give in.

Sora returned the kiss, marveling at the array of sensations being awakened within him. Squall's kiss was entirely different from the few he'd shared with Riku. Those kisses were provocative but tinged with innocence, while this one was deeply penetrating and utterly dominating. In a word, it was heaven.

Spurred to greater heights by Sora's submission, Squall gave Sora's tongue one last lick before descending on his neck again. The clean taste of Sora's skin was maddening to him. Lost in his desire, he drew his nails down Sora's back.

Pain and pleasure bloomed brightly all at once. _Oh God… _Sora arched against Squall, letting out a moan that was frightening in it's intensity.

The sound brought reality back to Squall with a screeching halt. Awareness slammed into him painfully, and he looked down at the heavily breathing Sora with horror. Even more frightening was the urge to continue, fueled by his now raging erection. _Holy SHIT!!! What the FUCK am I DOING?! _Quickly, he dropped Sora as if he were a bag of hot coals, and lurched off the couch, nearly tripping over the coffee table. After a moment, he caught his balance and leaned his face against the wall, his eyes closed. "Oh my fucking God…"

Sora sat up shakily, his eyes wide. _What was THAT?! Did I just… and did he just… and did we… _He stayed on the couch, his legs too weak to stand.

Squall's heart was beating rapidly, his throat dry. _He kissed me… _He clenched and unclenched his fists, not trusting himself to look at Sora. _And I kissed him back. I fucking kissed him WELL. And I loved every awful second of it. _With mild hysteria he realized that he almost certainly would've taken things further still if Sora hadn't made some noise. _I can still taste him…_

Sora watched Squall, terrified by his response, realizing the magnitude of his action. _What have I done? I messed everything up. He'll never want to see me again as long as I live._

Feeling eyes on his back, Squall slowly turned around. _This has to stop now. It was more dangerous than I ever realized. I still can't believe I was going to do that, with him… _He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily._ Well, this is definitely the end, regardless of the damage to his feelings. I'd rather be lonely and disliked than behind bars. _Clearing his throat, he spoke, not even sure what he really wanted to say."Sora, let me say first of all, that what happened here, stays here. You will not breathe a word of what happened today. Not to anyone. If you do, then life will get a lot harder for both of us. Do you follow me?"

Sora nodded, dread rising. "I would never tell. You know that."

And now I'm subtly threatening him into silence? Squall groaned and laid his face in his hands. "Sora, why? Why did you have to touch me like that? The way you looked at me was bad enough. But your touch…" _Is like temptation itself. _He groaned again.

"I'm so sorry." Sora pleaded, his voice low. "I didn't really understand what I was doing. I've never really… wanted anyone like that. It'll never happen again, I swear."

"I know it won't." Squall agreed. "Because from now on, you don't come near me. I leave you alone, and you leave me alone. If being your teacher means not being your friend, then… So be it."

Sora flinched, hurt but not surprised. _I knew that would happen if I kissed him, but I did it anyway. Was it worth it?_

Squall continued. "I never should've let you approach me outside of class. I was never oblivious to the tension between us. I completely blame myself."

"I don't." Sora said quietly. _I've lost his friendship, his respect, and his company. All because I couldn't control myself. I knew I should've stayed at school._

Squall looked at him for a long moment, moved by the sadness in his tone. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Sora. I'm the adult here, and I should've known better. But you're young, and you're at a stage in your life where your hormones are in control most of the time. It's easy to get confused." _Yet, I think it was more than that at work here. _"Didn't you say that you and Riku are together?"

Sora winced. "Yes." _So, now I'm a cheater too?_

Squall nodded. "Well then, what probably happened is that you confused your feelings for Riku with what you think of me, and acted on it. As for me, I've been alone and… sexually frustrated for such a long time, I just sort of went along with it." He sighed, feeling a great deal more stable with this explanation. _Well, at least I don't feel sick anymore. Sora cured me,_ he thought wryly. _I'll be physically able to return to work tomorrow, but mentally…_

Sora stood slowly, looking at the floor. "I'll go then. And I'm sorry. I really hope you believe me." _But I don't regret it._

"Of course I believe you." Squall replied. _Does he have to look so damn pitiful? I'm protecting his virtue, for crying out loud. _Against his better judgment he walked over to Sora and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Sora, look at me."

Reluctantly, Sora met his gaze. _This is the part where he'd say we should just be friends, but we can't even be friends anymore._

Squall sighed again. "I'm not mad at you. I just know what's best for both of us. And that is for us to remain professional. I was honored that you wanted me for a friend, but that can never happen as long as you are my student." He explained. "I advise that you take your confused emotions, and channel them into your relationship with Riku. Give him all the attention that you've been wasting on me." _I can't believe I'm telling him to do this. So much for his virtue, in that case. _The thought irked him.

Sora swallowed hard. "I will try." He backed away and headed for the door.

"Sora," Squall called. "I want you to know, that if you ever need anything, or if you're ever in trouble, you can always come to me for help. I think I owe you that much."

Sora nodded, and left without saying anything. He didn't trust himself to speak. _If I open my mouth now, I might start crying._

Squall watched him go, and then closed the door. Grimly he returned to his spot on the sofa. _That was that. _Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the photo album, lying on the floor by the coffee table. Rinoa stared back at him from the picture, her face loving and understanding. _It looks almost as though she's approving of my interest in Sora,_ he thought and then closed the book, irritated with himself. _I must be losing my mind._

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****

Notes: Poor Sora. The kid is getting passed around like a collection plate.

Sora: And I didn't even get any money, either.

-Aww, here you go. (gives him a dollar) Don't spend it all in one place.

Riku: Cheap ass.

-Damn right. How are those blue balls holding up, Squall?

Squall: (taking another cold shower) Shut up, you fool. Leave me alone and answer some questions.

-Such a grouchy man.

1. Vincent/Riku is the non-con sex isn't it?

-Shit… That would be so nice. O.o (drools) Hmm… Riku, how would you feel about that?

Riku: I don't think so! Moving right along!

2. But are you going to update City of Dying Dreams, your other story, any time soon?

-Yes, I recently finished writing Chapter 5, and after some proofreading, it will be added.

3. will there be any Squall/Cloud hot sweaty man-sex action?

-Not in this story, but I'm planning on it in another one that I'm working on.

4. will Riku find out that Sora likes Squall? and if so...what will he do to Sora?!

Riku: Sora likes WHO?!

-Heh heh. (covers his ears) Never you mind, Riku. All I can say is, there will be drama, oh yes.

5. Who do you think is hotter Squall or Riku

-Damn… Tough choice. (agonizes) I'll get back to you on that one.

6. is kairi ever gonna find out about sora's little secret?

-Yep.

7. Will Sora be kind of stuck in a love "L"; since Riku likes Sora and Sora like Squall, but Squall doesn't like Riku?

-Pretty much. I sympathize with Sora, I mean I couldn't even choose between Squall and Riku. It's like choosing between cake and an ice cream sundae. That's why ice cream cakes were invented…

Riku: Everything is food with you.

8. Will you ever put a little animal in the story that always ruins Riku/Sora or Sora/Squall's "fun?"

-Nah. If I always ruined the fun, then no one would ever get to make sweet love. And then my new video camera would go to waste.

Riku: Film us and I'll beat you while you sleep.

-Such insolence.


	13. Jealousy

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. But thanks to the ultimate key blade, I was able to own the living shit out of everyone in the coliseum, several times over. Nothing like a souped-up level 100 Sora to kick some ass and take down names.

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Author's Note: This second half of this chapter contains a fist fight. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! I also added dividers for the person who said it was hard to tell when the viewpoints changed. Sorry, I didn't add them sooner!

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Leaning against the fence at the end of his street, Sora glanced at his watch. _Just a few more minutes. _Although his mother was at work, he didn't want to be seen entering the house until it was a little after the time that he usually came home. Neighbors were often a lot nosier than he gave them credit for. _I don't want to have to explain anything. How can I, when I don't even understand it myself? _Tentatively he touched his lips, where the tingling effect of Squall's kiss still remained. The rest of his body seemed to have returned to normal during his walk home, but for some reason his lips were slow to comply. He was still stunned by the events that had transpired. _I guess, looking back on it, all of the touching did sort of hint at it, but I never dreamed that Squall wanted me._ He frowned. _Nah, I need to get over myself. He's just horny, he admitted it. Still… It was nice. I'd do it again, even now. Too bad a second chance is out of the question. _Another peek at his watch informed him that it was time, and he rounded the fence, heading for his home.

A quick jog across the street and he was safely inserting his key into the lock, and letting himself in. He slumped against the door as it closed behind him, allowing most of the tension to leave his body. _I'm safe. _For a long moment he stood against the door with his eyes closed, until he remembered why he was sneaking around in the first place. With a groan, he made his way to the stairs, and went up, his mind reluctant to function. _All I know is, Riku is probably pissed that I skipped sixth period. I hate to imagine how pissed he's going to be when I tell him why._ He froze, his hand on the doorknob to his bedroom. _Wait, I can't tell him that. I can't tell anybody that. _He opened his door and immediately flopped down onto his bed. _But what am I going to do? I like Squall, I like him a lot. So how do I act normal around him? Especially after today… _He propped himself up on one elbow, his brows furrowed in thought. _Unless, I do what he suggested and concentrate on my relationship with Riku. But how will that help? Won't it just make it worse if every time I kiss Riku, I'm thinking about Squall? _He buried his face in his pillow. "I'm so confused!" he mumbled.

A soft rapping on the doorframe roused Sora from his thoughts. He looked up just enough to see Kairi standing in the doorway, with an uneasy expression on her face. "Oh. Hey, Kairi." _I was so out of it, I didn't even hear the front door open. _He dropped his face back into the pillow.

"Hey," began Kairi tentatively. "Can I come in?"

Sora thought about it. He wasn't really in the mood for company, but at the same time he didn't want to be alone. "Sure."

Kairi entered the room, eyeing him cautiously. "Are you sure? You don't look so happy to see me."

"It's not that. I'm just surprised." Sora explained, rolling onto his side. "Usually you don't get home this early. I thought you were hanging out with Selphie or something."

Kairi shook her head. "Nah, not everyday. Sometimes she can be really shallow, you know?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, and tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind one ear. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much." Sora replied. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing…" Kairi hesitated, and then took a breath. "Sora, what happened today at school? What's going on with you and Riku?"

I knew it, Sora thought bitterly. _She just came here to grill me. Forget about Riku, I have some real dirt, and wouldn't you just love to know. _"Why do you want to know? So you can go back and tell the scoop to Selphie and her gang, like a good little minion? Earn a few brownie points?" As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Kairi wasn't like that and he knew it.

"No way!" Kairi protested, hurt. _How rude! He's not acting normal at all. _She crossed her arms and huffed angrily. "What's with you?!" She punched one of his jean-covered thighs.

"Ow!" Sora groaned, and rubbed his leg. "Jeez, I'm sorry! You don't have to beat me up. I've just had a really rough day." He sighed. "It's not right to take it out on you, though."

Kairi's eyes softened. "Sora, you big dummy… I'm your cousin, and I hope at least, that I'm your friend. I just wanted to know what was bothering you." She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. "You looked so unhappy when you left the cafeteria. I was worried, you know."

"I know." Sora conceded. _I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. _He turned onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head."Riku is my boyfriend." he explained. "And we just had a disagreement. I suppose it's what couples do." He slightly altered the truth, not even wanting to tell Kairi about Jake. "No big deal, or anything. I just got mad, and so I wanted to be alone for a while." He closed his eyes.

"Oh…" Kairi said, her brows furrowed. "So, it doesn't have anything to do with last Saturday?"

Sora's eyes popped open. "Saturday?! What about Saturday?!"

Kairi looked at him strangely. "You told me that you spent the day hanging out with your crush, remember?"

"Right…" Sora answered, his heart pounding. _I'd forgotten I told her that._

Kairi tilted her head to the side. "You know, when you told me that, I thought you were talking about Riku at first. But then I remembered he was out of town, right? Plus he didn't fit the description you gave."

Sora felt a rising terror as he realized that Kairi had a better sense of deduction than he ever suspected. "Oh?" _She's smarter than she lets on._

Yep." Kairi agreed. "So, what happened with him anyway? Now that you said you're dating Riku, I guess your crush is a guy, right?"

"Yes, it's a guy." Sora responded, his pulse racing. _I have to be careful, I can't let anything slip._ "Uh, it didn't work out with him."

"What do you mean it didn't work out?" Kairi asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

Sora sighed. "It just didn't work out." He recalled the sting of Squall's rejection and covered his face with his hands. _I thought I was over that, but I guess I was wrong. _"He doesn't want to be with me. He isn't interested." he whispered.

"What?!" squawked Kairi, indignant. She pounded her fist into the bed. "That won't do at all! We've got to go find him, and kick his ass!"

Sora looked up, stunned out of his sorrow. "Did you just curse?"

Kairi shrugged. "So? I think the situation called for it." She patted Sora on the back. "I mean, how can anyone not want to be with you? You're smart, cute, and funny. You're a really nice guy, Sora." She shook her head. "I think that anyone who can't see that is a real loser, and you're probably better off without him. And, you do have Riku, anyway." She almost managed to keep the distaste out of her voice.

"Still don't like him, huh?" Sora teased.

"Not really." Kairi admitted. "Part of it is what Selphie told me about him. But most of it, is how mean he was to me, when he didn't even know me. Now that I know he likes you, I guess I understand. But he's stupid to be jealous of me. We're related, for crying out loud! That would be totally gross."

"Very nasty." Sora agreed, nodding. "But I'm sure there's someone out there who thinks you're not totally gross, Red Haired She Devil."

Kairi punched him in the other leg. "Oh, shut up!"

"Yes, Ma'am." Sora mock-sobbed, rubbing his thigh.

"You're so stupid." Kairi teased, sticking out her tongue.

"Oh yeah, it must be genetic." Sora shot back.

Kairi raised her fist again. "You want some more of this?"

"No thanks!" Sora laughed, moving his legs away from her. "You know, I feel a lot better now. Thanks, Kairi."

"No problem, Sora." Kairi smiled. "Now, do me a favor and pass me the tape-recorder I put behind your headboard. Selphie and the girls are waiting for me to deliver the goods."

Sora paled.

"I'm just kidding!" Kairi laughed, holding up her hands. "Boy, you should've seen your face!"

"Grrr…" Sora jumped up and chased Kairi away from the bed, his mood largely improved. "You'll pay for that, Red Haired She Devil!"

Kairi darted out of the room, squealing. _That's more like the Sora I know. _"I'm going to go make dinner! You can get me back then!"

"You bet!" Sora called after her, and then closed his door, laughing. _I'm glad she came to stay with us. She always seems to know what to say. _He ran his hands through his hair. _But I still I have to call Riku tonight. I think I'll take a shower first, though. _Quickly he stripped out of his clothes, leaving them were they fell. He fetched his towel and wrapped it around his waist. On his way to the door, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and froze. _It was just out of the corner of my eye, but I think… _He twisted slightly until he could see the reflection of his back. He was struck by a sense of foreboding. The welts left by Squall's fingernails were still there.

Sora never got a chance to call Riku. As soon as he returned to his bedroom after the shower, he heard the telephone ringing. _That must be him, _Sora thought.

Sure enough, Kairi was knocking on the door a few minutes later. "Sora, it's your boyfriend."

Sora blushed, realizing he still wasn't used to the idea. _I'll have to get over it, though. _He opened the door a crack and groped blindly, groaning when Kairi deliberately moved the phone out of his reach. "Oh, come on!" He pressed his face to the opening in the door, one blue eye glaring out at his playful cousin.

"Aww, you're so excitable when it comes to your boyfriend, Sora." Kairi teased, handing him the phone. "Dinner is ready, by the way."

"Thanks." Sora replied, and closed the door. He lifted the phone to his ear, anxious. _What am I going to say? I didn't have enough time to prepare a story. _"Hello?"

"Look," Riku began. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Sora asked, taken aback. "Sorry about what?"

"About that business with Jake." Riku explained. "You're right. I should've taken his feelings into consideration, but I never expected him to get jealous. I just handled it all wrong. I'll do better, I promise."

Sora sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to think. "Oh… Well, that's okay. I wasn't really that mad at you. I just felt bad for Jake."

"Why did you leave, then?" Riku blurted out. "I was worried about you! When I didn't see you in sixth period, I didn't know what to think. I figured I had really pissed you off…"

Sora felt an overpowering guilt. _Poor Riku, I've been so unfair to him. _"I wasn't feeling well." he lied. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Oh." Riku breathed with obvious relief. "That's good. Shit! I mean, it's not good that you're sick! It's good that's why you left school… No! I mean, it's good that you're not mad at me." He groaned. "Did I sound like a complete tool, just then?"

Sora snickered. "No. Maybe. Okay, you did. Just a little bit."

"Well, that's what love does to you." Riku replied easily.

Sora was amazed at the way Riku proclaimed his feelings so openly. "Riku," he began hesitantly. "How do you know that you love someone? I mean, why do you think that you love me?"

Riku was quiet for a long moment before speaking. "It's kind of hard to explain over the phone… With you, I just knew it. I mean, you make me feel a way that no one has ever made me feel before." He sighed, remembering his feelings of confusion and shame. "It's not like I didn't try to like other people, but it was hopeless. I always sort of knew it was only you, but I wasn't really sure until the last year that we went to catch fireflies. I was nervous all night around you, and only when I got home did I realize that it was because I had wanted to kiss you. But I didn't know how you'd react, so I didn't. I think that's why I kept dreaming about that night. I wanted to go back and change it."

Sora's guilt grew and he recalled Wakka's words. _"You underestimate Riku a lot, ya." So, I did._ "Oh."

"I'm doing a lousy job of explaining." Riku said apologetically. "I guess it's just a feeling you get. When you know that this person is the only one who will do and everybody else is just background noise. When you want to be with them, no matter what. When it's the best thing on earth when you're together, but it's the worst pain imaginable when you're apart." He sighed. _That doesn't even begin to describe the way I feel. _"There's more to it, but it's kind of like that."

"I understand," Sora replied softly. "Thanks." _I have to make a choice now. And I choose Riku. It isn't fair for me to chase Squall when we aren't even right for each other, and I know it. He doesn't want me anyway. It was all just wishful thinking._

· ·§· ·

Squall stared up at the ceiling, watching the dying rays of sunlight play across the blades of the ceiling fan. He cast a cursory glance at the half-opened blinds, somewhat surprised to see that it was still wasn't dark out yet. _I thought it was later than this._

"There is no time here. There is only us." The whisper was accented by the soft sound of rustling fabric.

Squall knew that he should've been terrified at the mental intrusion, but instead he felt a peaceful relief. He knew who that voice belonged to. Lazily, he lifted his head from the pillow and glanced down at the end of the bed. The charcoal sheets were rippling softly, even though he hadn't moved, and he was intrigued to see what would happen next. "Sora…" Suddenly the time was the last thing on his mind.

Blue eyes appeared in the back of his mind. The sunlight flickered in gold sparks within their depths, adding a feral quality that was almost too much for Squall to handle.

"Come here." Squall ordered.

Sora obliged, his body seeming to form out of the sheets themselves as he rose from the bed. The sheets fell away from him as he crawled toward Squall, revealing his naked skin, enticingly golden in the fading light.

Squall sat up as Sora approached, and pulled him into his arms impatiently. Sora's legs went easily around his waist, their lower regions brushing together, and he shuddered. _This can't be real._

"Why not?" Sora asked, his hands roaming over Squall's broad back. "Don't you want me?" His eyes flashed again.

"Fuck yes." Squall groaned, his body trembling under those fingertips. _I know that now, without a doubt._ He lowered his lips, searing the skin so readily available to him. Hungrily he tasted Sora's lips, giving them up only to pursue his throat, then the smoothness of his collarbone, and the line of his shoulder. _I've desired this body since the first day I laid eyes on it, and there is no point in lying about it. The damage has been done._

Sora seemed to melt into him, his moans of pleasure echoing in the back of Squall's mind. He could feel everything he was doing to Sora as though it was being done to him. Each shudder and gasp amplified into a maddening volume, until Squall couldn't take anymore. _I can do what I've longed to do for so long. There are no consequences here._ Panting, he lowered Sora back onto the bed, his need dictating his actions.

Sora moved smoothly beneath him, his body burning to the touch. "Am I yours?" The sensuality in his voice awakened Squall's natural possessiveness. He had never before thought of Sora as belonging to him, but now it seemed almost natural that he should.

"Yes, you are mine." Squall answered fiercely, without hesitation. He gripped Sora's slim hips in both hands. His skin felt like heated silk. _I know this is a dream, and I don't care. I only wish it were real._

"Then take me."

Squall had the peculiar sensation of drowning, of being submerged in the very essence of Sora. It seemed almost as if he were wrapped up in a blanket of Sora's presence as he moved. Sora's touch was everywhere at once, doing impossible things as Squall penetrated him. His senses were flooded with the scent, sound, feel, and taste of Sora, and he didn't want to give up the endless pleasure. _If this is a dream, I never want to wake up. _The expression of utter ecstasy on Sora's face, and his half-closed sapphire eyes in the flickering light quickly drove Squall over the edge.

When he came, he felt Sora's incredibly sharp nails dig their way down his back, the searing pain as real as anything he'd ever felt while awake. "Now we're even." The stinging discomfort stunned him out of his dream.

Gasping, Squall rolled over the side of his bed. His body barely registered the impact with the floor, his adrenaline coursing from the dream. He could still feel the spasms of orgasm and looked down in disdain, able to see the stain on his boxers even in the dim glow from the streetlights. _Shit… We are most certainly not even, unless he's having wet dreams about me, too. _The thought of Sora twisting around, crying out Squall's name while he slept only served to intensify the last tingles of his release, and Squall gave up his efforts at rising, helpless to do anything but clutch onto the carpet for dear life.

When at last he felt able to stand, he pulled himself up by the bed, and wasn't surprised to see the sheets in a state of complete disarray. He cut on his bedside lamp, wincing as his vision was splashed in light. _I was right about one thing, anyway. It was later than I thought._ Slowly he changed out of his clothes, and cleaned himself up with a towel. Once he'd put on a dry set of clothes, he felt secure enough to leave his bedroom.

Upon opening his door, he heard the familiar sound of someone raiding his fridge, and marched into the kitchen, forgetting his disheveled appearance. "Alright, Strife. I know Aerith must be back by now. Why are you here?"

Cloud looked back at him, a sandwich hanging from his mouth. Quickly, he removed it and set it on a napkin. "I was just heading over there actually. I stopped by because I was hungry, and I don't have any good food at my place."

"You are unbelievable!" Squall growled, his expression murderous. He took a step forward.

"Hey! Down, big guy." Cloud protested. "You don't want your guest to think you have a temper problem, do you?"

Squall froze. "What guest?" He shot a panicked glance at his coffee table where the evidence of Sora's visit still remained. _Something told me I should've put that stuff away, but then I didn't expect this fool to stop by._

"Your friend." Cloud replied, as though Squall were stupid. "Where is he? Still in the bedroom?"

"There is nobody in the bedroom, Strife." Squall said, carefully. "There is no one in this entire apartment, except for me and you, and that is exactly why I'm going to get away with it when I murder you in a few seconds." He advanced another step.

"Wait a minute," Cloud interrupted. "All that noise I heard, that was just you? By yourself?"

Squall's face flamed. "All what noise?" _Shit…_

"Tsk, tsk." Cloud shook his head, laughing. "Damn Leonhart, you need to learn to beat off a little more quietly. You must've been having a really good time with yourself."

"I was sleeping!" Squall shot back, defensively. _Like that's any better._

Cloud laughed even harder. "Ha ha, what are you, like twelve or something?"

"Shut up!" Squall snapped, his cheeks red. _Goddammit… _"It's none of your business. And I can't believe you stayed long enough to make a sandwich after you thought that I had company. What, were you jealous?"

Cloud snorted. "Hell no. I was just curious. I'll admit, I wanted to see what he looked like, seeing as how he's stolen your heart and all."

"He has not stolen my heart!" Squall griped. "It was just a temporary thing, and it's over now, anyway."

"Sure, sure." Cloud agreed. "I know you, Leonhart. When you fall, you fall hard. You'll be sitting in your room writing love letters soon enough."

"Hell no. Everybody isn't as whipped as you are with Aerith." Squall taunted, tired of being the topic of discussion. _Give him a taste of his own medicine… Speaking of medicine, I need to take mine before my cold flares back up. _He headed back into the living room and picked up the bottle of cough syrup. _Sora brought this for me. He skipped school, walked all the way to the grocery store, spent money that really wasn't his to spend, and came to take care of me. _He grimaced. _And I didn't even give him back the goddamn twenty dollars. What the hell is wrong with me? I used to be normal._

"So?" Cloud said finally.

"What?" asked Squall, turning around. _I almost forgot he was even here._

"Maybe I am whipped." Cloud shrugged. "So what? I'm happy, and that's all that matters."

Long after Cloud had left, Squall lay awake in his bed, waiting for sleep, reflecting back on his day. He kept thinking about what Cloud had said. _Sora made me happy every time he talked to me. It was weird, but it can't be anything like what Cloud thinks about Aerith. The thing with Sora is all physical, and I'm through torturing myself. But… _He sighed and closed his eyes. _If I can have him in my dreams, then who am I to complain?_

· ·§· ·

Riku opened his locker and gathered his books for first period. He'd been feeling uneasy ever since he talked to Sora on the phone last night. Sora had obviously been upset about something, but he wouldn't say what. When Riku had asked him if he wanted to walk to school with him, Sora had told him that he was still thinking about staying home. Mystified, Riku had consented, walking to school alone, feeling as though he was overlooking something. _Sora said he left school yesterday because he wasn't feeling well… but he seemed fine to me. Why did he have to sneak out like that without letting me know?_

"Hey." Sora called softly.

Riku turned around, pleased to see his friend. "Hey. So, you decided to come after all."

Sora nodded. "Yeah." He laid a hand on Riku's arm. "Riku, I've been thinking."

"About what?" Riku asked, feeling uneasy. _He can't be breaking up with me already, can he?_

Sora briefly averted his eyes and then looked back at him. "About us." _Focus all of my attentions on Riku…_

"What about us?" Riku questioned, even more anxious now. _Okay, this is getting scary._

"I really want to give us a chance." Sora said. "I don't think I've been very fair to you." His experience with Squall still weighed heavily on his mind, along with the choice of action he'd decided upon.

Riku looked at him strangely. "Um Sora, how much more fair could you be? I mean, I knew you were squeamish about a relationship with me. I'm just glad you agreed to that much." _So incredibly glad. _"What more can I really ask of you, just yet?"

Faithfulness. Sora summoned all of his courage and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Riku's. He forced the image of his kiss with Squall from his mind, and lost himself in his desire to please his boyfriend

Riku returned Sora's kiss, stunned. He could feel Sora's tongue lapping at his own, and he pulled back, his body temperature rising dangerously. _Whoa. _He fell against the locker, his heart racing.

Sora held onto Riku, kissing his parted lips, his shyness and thoughts of Squall vanquished. _This was easier than I thought._

Riku turned his head to the side to avoid the kisses and groaned when Sora attacked his neck instead. _Goddamn! _He pried at his boyfriend's arms with no luck. The hallway was filling with students and Sora showed no signs of letting up. "Sora, I thought you were supposed to be shy?"

Sora grinned. _I never thought I'd hear him complaining. _"And I thought you were supposed to be bold?"

"Hey! Hey!" Riku exclaimed, when he felt Sora's hands sneaking under his shirt. "What are you trying to do to me, this early in the morning?"

Sora laughed, pleased with Riku's reaction. "Oh come on. What's the big deal?" He tweaked his friend's nipple.

Riku made a pained expression and laid his face on Sora's shoulder. "The big deal," he growled. "Is that I haven't been laid in a while." _A situation I expect to remedy with you in the near future._

"So?" asked Sora. "I've never been laid in my life. What's your point?" _I could get used to this._

"My point," Riku continued in a low voice. "Is that if you don't stop messing with me, you're going to end up losing your virginity on school grounds. Today. In about five minutes."

"Geez, you're so demanding." Sora teased. He removed his hands from the inside of Riku's shirt and simply hugged him, content.

"You have no idea." Riku replied, hugging him back. He looked up suddenly and was shocked to see his English teacher walk by, glaring at him with an incredibly cold expression. The malice burning in those gray eyes was unmistakable, and all too intimidating. _What the hell? _"The fuck is with him?!" Riku exclaimed, letting go of Sora.

"What?" Sora asked, turning around.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Leonhart just shot me a dirty look. Damn, he really is homophobic."

Sora felt a shiver go through him. _Squall glared at Riku? _He scanned the crowd of moving people with his eyes, but he didn't see Squall. Instead he caught a glimpse of Jake Addison scowling at him as he passed, Selphie Tilwitt hanging onto his arm. _Yikes. _Instinctively he leaned closer to Riku. "I guess some people just have a problem with us."

"Well, I guess they'll just have to get over it." Riku replied, and kissed Sora on the cheek. "Come on, and get your stuff or we'll be late." He rolled his eyes. "Leonhart will probably give me detention and let you go free, this time."

I doubt it, Sora thought. He let go of Riku and moved to his locker. He was in no real hurry to get to class, dreading the awkwardness. _He kissed me, and I know he didn't mean to… but still…_ Sora shook his head and gathered his books. _But it's in the past anyway. He told me to focus my attentions on Riku, and that's just what I'm going to do. _Feeling heartened, Sora closed his locker. He shot a glance at Riku who was standing beside him, watching the other students with a bored expression. On a mischievous impulse, he quickly smacked the back of Riku's jeans.

The hell? Riku whirled around, his eyes wide. "Sora? What's gotten into you today?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sora said with feigned innocence, and shrugged. _Ha ha!_

"You smacked my ass." Riku accused. _And I liked it. A lot._

"I would never." Sora said, almost hiding the smugness in his tone. He raised an eyebrow, inviting Riku to prove otherwise.

"Oh, you little liar." Riku murmured, his interest aroused. "If that's how you want to play it, then it's fine by me." He leaned in for a kiss.

Sora dodged to the side and smacked him on his ass again. "Come on, or we'll be late, remember?" He walked off, a sly smile on his face.

Ha! "Whatever you say." Riku agreed, and took off after him.

Squall looked up as Sora and Riku entered the classroom, his expression bland. In his mind he kept replaying what he'd seen a few minutes earlier. Sora had been latched onto Riku, showering him with kisses that were anything but chaste. It had taken every bit of Squall's self-control to keep from walking over and knocking Riku flat for enjoying it so much. _Why should I be mad at Riku, anyway? Sora was the one all over him. _He sighed. _But then, I did tell him to devote himself to Riku. Still, he didn't have to rub it in my face like that. _Absently, he listened to the morning announcements, wondering if he should seek counseling.

Sora deliberately avoided looking at Squall, determined to keep the awkwardness at a minimum. He paid attention to the announcements, feeling his school spirit rise slightly at the mention of homecoming.

Riku divided his time between gazing at Sora, and glancing worriedly at Squall. _Why does he look so pissed? He probably needs to get laid._

The announcements ended, and Squall was snapped out of his disgruntled thoughts. He dared one last look at Sora, irked to see that the look was not returned. _Oh well, _he thought darkly. _I asked for it. Besides, it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway._ In a hopelessly bad mood, he called for class to begin.

Squall drove the class with a disturbing sort of relentlessness, giving nothing. He brutally dissected answers and neglected to simplify new concepts, leaving even Sora somewhat dazed. Tidus cheerfully gave up within the first ten minutes, and contented himself with doodling in his notebook for the remainder of the period. Riku merely watched Squall with a knowing smirk, convinced that the man desperately needed a girlfriend. Sora tried his best to participate in the class activities and discussion, only to find himself staunchly ignored by Squall.

The dismissal bell hadn't even finished it's trill when Sora pushed back his chair and left the classroom, his ego badly bruised. He could hear Squall giving the homework assignment pages, but he didn't care. He felt cruelly insulted, and all he wanted was to get away without making a scene. _How could he be such a bastard to me? _He turned the corner, his expression bewildered. _I mean, he's the one who told me to leave him alone. So, why the attitude?_ Sora stopped, his eyes falling on the piece of white notebook paper taped to his locker. _What's that? _A message was scrawled onto it in black marker and as he approached, he could make out the words.

"ALL FAGGOTS SHOULD BURN IN HELL!!!"

"Oh…" Sora said, stunned. He blinked, not sure what to think. His feelings weren't hurt, but at the same time he was surprised that the note would end up on his locker, considering that Riku had been with lots of other guys before him. _Why me?_

"Hey Sora," Riku called, sidling up beside him. "You just ran out of class without giving me a chance to catch up." He noticed Sora's distracted expression and followed his gaze.

Ack! I can't let him find out! Sora quickly laid his back against the locker, blocking the note. "Oh, I didn't want to be late for next period."

"What was that on your locker?" Riku asked suspiciously. "I thought I saw a piece of paper with words on it."

"Oh, that? It's nothing." Sora lied. "Just a practical joke or something."

"Sora, what does it say?" Riku asked. _He's acting too funny for it to be nothing._

Sora shook his head. "Nothing really." _If Riku sees it, he'll just get mad, and it won't do any good._

Riku sighed. "Move."

"No." Sora said firmly. "Don't worry about it."

Effortlessly, Riku moved Sora to the side and read it. He recognized the handwriting instantly. Riku snatched down the note and crumpled it, his anger rising. "That fucking prick!" he spat, shoving the note into his pocket.

"Who?" Sora asked, worried. _Geez, now what?_

"Jake." Riku growled. "Jake fucking Addison." He thought back to the day before in the cafeteria, when Jake had been threatening Sora. _And now this shit… _"I'm going to rip him a new asshole." he declared, and started off.

"No, Riku!" Sora pleaded, his eyes panicked. He tugged on his friend's sleeve, but Riku easily wrenched free, and continued his angry strides. "Calm down!"

Riku shook his head, not slowing in his rampage. "No way, Sora. No fucking way. I'm not calming down until I beat that fuck Addison into a pulp." He ignored Sora's pleas, and rounded the corner, his eyes narrowing.

Jake Addison was leaning against Selphie's locker, flirting with her, seemingly oblivious to the drama that was heading his way.

Riku strode up to Jake, and shoved him rudely into the lockers. "You must think you're pretty fucking funny, Addison."

Jake whirled around, unprepared. He hadn't expected Riku to find out about the note so fast. _I thought Sora had more pride than to sic Riku on me_. The situation could get out of hand if he wasn't careful. He decided to deny it for now. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Sora ran up, his eyes wide. "Riku!" he cried. "Please! Just let it go!"

Riku ignored him, and glared at Jake. "So, you're going to play dumb with me?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled note. "Remember this?" He threw it at Jake.

Jake didn't bother catching it, and simply glared back at Riku. "So what if I wrote it? It's true. You do deserve to burn in hell." He could tell by the murderous gleam in Riku's eyes that the situation was out of his control now. A small crowd of students had gathered around them, waiting expectantly for something to happen. There was no way that he could end it himself without losing face.

"But you didn't leave it on my locker, you coward. I wouldn't give a fuck if you did. You left it on Sora's locker, and he's innocent." Riku clenched his fists. "You've got your nerve, after what you've been doing. He should be the one leaving notes on your locker."

Jake felt a momentary panic, and looked briefly at Selphie's questioning face. _He can't tell! _"You shut your mouth, if you want to live!"

Sora grabbed Riku's arm and pulled with all of his strength. "Come on! He's not worth it! Just let it go!"

Against his will, Riku could feel his anger diminishing, his instinctive reaction to Sora's touch. He allowed himself to be dragged by Sora, mentally vowing to settle matters with Jake at a later time. The crowd around them parted with a sigh of disappointment.

Jake watched as Sora tugged Riku away from him, placating him and soothing him. It burned deeply, and he thought back on all those escapades he'd had with Riku, when Sora wouldn't give him the time of day. He remembered how ashamed he'd felt when Riku had awakened his body to the needs that he had tried so long to ignore. He recalled how unsettled he'd felt when he realized that he had grown emotionally bound to Riku, though the other male treated him with casual indifference. And now Sora had come along, and suddenly it was over. No contact, no sex, nothing. _This isn't right. It's not fucking right!_

Sora looked back at Jake warily, fearing his silence. _If anything he should be hurling insults at us, but he's just staring._

Jake stared back at Sora, and suddenly something inside of him snapped. It was the fear in Sora's eyes, not fear for himself, but fear for Riku. _As if I would ever fucking hurt Riku. _He lunged at Sora, his emotions disheveled.

Sora yelped and ducked out of the way with startling speed, letting go of Riku. _Jake's lost his mind!_ He dodged the next swipe and lost his balance, sprawling onto the cold tiles. "What's wrong with you?!" he yelled, scrambling backwards to avoid another attack.

Immediately Riku grabbed Jake, preventing him from approaching Sora again. _He almost hit Sora… _Enraged, he began to pummel Jake with his fists. "You son of a bitch! Don't you ever fucking touch him!" He lost all sense of reason and attacked savagely, his entire will bent on the task of rendering Jake unconscious.

Jake forgot about Sora, and concentrated on trying to free himself from Riku's grip. He returned the punches, which seemed to have no effect on his attacker. Physically they were an even match, but Riku was ruled by a savagery born of rage that left him impervious to pain. Growing desperate, Jake flung himself back against the lockers, slamming Riku into the metal.

Selphie screamed and darted away, her eyes wide. "Somebody get a teacher or something!"

Riku spun free and viciously kicked Jake into the space where Selphie had been standing seconds before. _And that silly bitch has no clue… fucking lying hypocrite! _Unrelenting, he launched himself onto Jake's back, shouting insults as he delivered his blows.

Sora finally climbed to his feet, his thoughts racing. _They're really going to hurt each other if they keep this up!_ "Stop it!" he yelled. "Just stop fighting!" He dashed forward and attempted to pry them apart.

Too late, Riku saw Jake's arm pull back and the derisive sneer on his face. _He's going to hit him!_ "Sora, get back!"

Explosive pain centered on the left side of Sora's face and he found himself flying backwards. _Jake punched me… he really punched me. _Before he could hit the ground again, he was caught by a pair of strong arms and managed to stay on his feet. _That was lucky. _"Thanks…" he mumbled.

Squall turned him around roughly, and looked down at him with an expression of pure concern. "Are you alright?!" _What the hell is all this shit?!_

Sora nodded, his left eye closed and throbbing. "I'm fine." He glanced back at the fight.

Jake appeared to be trying to restrain the wildly thrashing Riku with no luck. With a cry of hatred and fury, Riku began to claw at Jake's face. Blossoms of red appeared on his skin, and he let out a strangled groan of pain.

"Oh my God! You have to stop them!" Sora cried, yanking free of Squall's grip. "They're going to kill each other!"

Squall watched the fray for a second, disgusted and enraged. _Sora certainly has picked a fine mate. Not only is he loose, he's violent to boot. Lovely choice, Sora. _With grim determination, he pushed past Sora and strode over to the fighting males. He gave no warning, and simply snatched Riku off of Jake's back, and threw him on the floor. When Jake made as if to go after him, Squall shoved him back against the wall and scowled. "You don't want to move an inch, kid."

Jake slumped against the wall, defeated. "Whatever." His face burned where Riku had scratched him, and his body felt sore all over. Yet, those aches were minor compared to the emotional pain that he felt from realizing that Riku had attacked him out of hatred. Hatred for him, and love for Sora. "I just don't want to fight anymore." he said emotionlessly.

Squall turned and glared at Riku, who had quietly climbed to his feet and was studying them both. "What about you? Do you still want to fight?" He deliberately flexed his muscles, knowing that it would intimidate Riku into compliance.

Riku shook his head slowly. "Not with you. I'm not crazy. You'd kick the shit out of me and probably enjoy it." He shot a look at Jake, who flinched from the coldness in his gaze. "But this isn't over."

"Trust me, it's over." Squall snapped. He released his hold on Jake's shirt. "Both of you are in serious trouble. Come on, we're going to the principal's office." He walked several steps and waited, growing impatient when neither of them made any attempt to follow him. _Fuck this… _"Move it!" he roared.

Stunned, Riku sprang into action, following Squall. He snarled when Jake got to close to him, but didn't lash out. His English teacher looked pissed, and Riku didn't doubt that Leonhart wouldn't hesitate to hurt him if he angered him further. Hesitantly, he looked back over his shoulder at Sora, who was standing in the center of the hallway, staring at him with a sad expression on his face. Riku quickly turned away. That was the look he always got from his mom, right before she said _"I'm not mad at you, I'm just disappointed." _Riku scowled. He didn't want Sora to be disappointed in him. _I want him to feel safe with me, but Addison just made me so mad._ He shot a look at his opponent, only to see that Jake was looking at the floor, his shoulders slumped. _I guess that's over, _Riku thought with relief. _One more fuck-up like that, and he won't get to play in the homecoming game._

Squall opened the door to the office and ushered them inside. "Get in there." He closed the door behind himself.

Aurora looked up, alarmed. "Goodness! What is this?" She would've been glad to see Squall except for the two students that he had brought with him. One of them looked virtually untouched, while the other's face was streaming blood. She recognized them after a moment, and was even more shocked. "Jake? And Riku? What on earth happened?"

Jake lowered his eyes and remained silent, awaiting punishment.

Riku sighed heavily. "I'm innocent."

"They were fighting." Squall explained. "I broke them up. Is Ansem in?"

Aurora stood. "Yes, of course. I'll get him right away." She vanished down a corridor.

Squall turned to his two charges. "What was this all about, anyway?"

Jake shook his head slowly. _He hates me… I just can't believe it._

"It was self-defense." Riku glowered at Jake. "He attacked us, for no reason."

Somehow Squall doubted the veracity of Riku's statement. "Is that true, Jake?"

"He's lying!" Jake shot back, surprised that Riku would try to pin all the blame on him after beating him so badly. _And what will the team think? Oh man…_

Riku's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah, he did have a reason. He's a fucking ignorant asshole, is his reason."

Squall raised a hand. "Alright, alright. Just shut up. You two have done enough already." He sighed and waited for Aurora to return. He was still feeling a little woozy from his dying cold, and didn't relish the idea of spending his planning period babysitting. He was also eager to check on Sora, although he knew it wasn't a good idea after the cold way he'd treated him in class. _Still…_

Aurora returned, her eyes worried. Beside her walked Principal Ansem Hightower, his expression disapproving. He stepped in front of the two students, his immense height forcing them to look up. "What is this I hear," he began, his voice calm. "About two of our most promising seniors fighting in the halls?"

Promising? thought Squall. _These two brats? _It was all he could do to keep a straight face.

Ansem stared at the students until they lowered their eyes, ashamed. He turned to Squall, his hazel eyes inquisitive. "Tell me, Squall. What happened?"

Squall sighed. "It happened shortly after I dismissed my first class. I was getting ready to begin my planning period, when a hysterical young woman rushed into my classroom, screaming for help. She said that three boys were fighting in the hallway, and so I went out there to stop them."

"Three?" interrupted Ansem. He looked at the students again and then returned his gaze to Squall. "But there are only two here. Where is the third?"

"He had nothing to do with it!" Riku snapped defiantly, his eyes gleaming.

Ansem nodded at him indulgently. "Yes, I'm sure. Squall?"

"He's telling the truth." Squall agreed. "The third boy is innocent of violence. He had in fact, tried to end the fight himself, and was attacked by one of the boys as a result. He should not be punished for something he had no part in. After stopping the fight I decided to bring only the guilty parties to you."

Riku stared at Squall strangely. _What the fuck? Is he deliberately protecting Sora? Why, when he hates us so much?_

Ansem sighed. "I understand that perfectly, but I will need to question him as well. Tell me, what is this boy's name, so that Aurora can look up his schedule?"

"He has Calculus right now." Riku offered. "Mr. Merlin's class."

"Thank you." Ansem replied courteously, and turned to his secretary. "Aurora? Can you get the young man down here for me please?"

"Right away." Aurora said, and picked up the intercom phone. She looked up after a moment, puzzled. "Oh, but what is his name?"

"Sora." Squall responded automatically.

"How did you know?" Ansem asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's in my first period class." Squall answered easily, inwardly kicking himself. "Along with this one right here." he said, nodding to Riku.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Aurora dialed the extension and waited until the teacher answered the intercom. "Hello, is this Mr. Merlin's class? Do you have a Sora in your classroom this period? Oh, I see... Well, when he comes back, please send him to the main office. Yes, thank you." She replaced the receiver in the cradle and looked up. "He is in the nurse's office right now."

Riku's eyes widened, and he spun around scowling hatefully at Jake. "It's all because you hit him! I saw you! You fucking hypocritical asshole!" Enraged all over again, he lunged at Jake.

Ansem caught a hold of Riku's shoulder, his grip firm and painfully discouraging. "That will be quite enough out of you. I suggest that you not make things worse for yourself."

"Okay, okay!" Riku agreed, wincing. Principal Hightower's hand had a vise-like grip on his shoulder. _Beating on Jake some more isn't worth getting my arm dislocated, anyway._

Ansem nodded. "Very well. Aurora, call their parents, and let me know when the third boy arrives."

"What do you need Sora for?" Riku asked, worried. _If Sora gets in trouble over this, Sonya will never forgive me!_

"Someone has to tell me the truth." Ansem replied dryly. "Now both of you, come into my office. I think you two need to be refreshed on the finer details of the Code of Student Conduct. Squall, I thank you greatly for your assistance. You are free to leave."

Glad to be released from the madness, Squall quickly left the main office. _Why the hell were they fighting, in the first place? I've never even seen them speak to one another. Then again, I never paid much attention to Riku,_ he admitted. _But, how is Sora involved? He had to know something in order to get hit… Oh shit, he did get hit, didn't he? _Squall hurried to the nurse's office, feeling ill. _And I was an asshole to him all class, too. Then he turns around and gets slugged in the eye. Some friend I am. _He reached the office just as Sora was coming out, an icepack in his hand. "Sora…"

Sora looked up, holding the icepack to his left eye. The other eye widened. "Sq-, I mean, Mr. Leonhart?"

Squall felt incredibly low. "I came to see if you were really alright."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's not my first time getting a shiner. My cousin Kairi decked me one back when we were kids. She's normally pretty weak, but she gets strong when she's mad. Then one other time, I fell and smacked my face on a doorknob." He rambled on, feeling unsettled by the way Squall was looking at him. _What's with that expression?_ "My mom always said that I'm lucky I've never poked one out. I guess she's probably right. Ha ha. But, I'll put some meat on it when I get home or something. It's no big deal." he finished finally.

"Look," Squall started. "I'm sorry. I was a prick to you today, and I regret it." He swallowed. "And I regret what I said to you yesterday." _I dreamt about you all night, if that's any consolation._

Sora averted his gaze. "That's okay. I mean, you were right. I must've confused what I thought I was feeling for you with what I felt for Riku." He looked up. "But, I've been correcting it. I took your advice, and it worked."

Squall felt a cold chill emerge in his chest and spread slowly throughout his body. _What the fuck have I done?_ "Oh? Well, I'm happy to hear that." he said carefully.

"I'm glad." Sora replied honestly. "And thanks for breaking up the fight. I don't know what I would've done without your help. They were both too strong for me." His face took on a worried expression. "What do you think will happen to them?"

Squall shrugged. "Suspension probably. Oh, speaking of which, Principal Hightower is waiting to see you. He wants to hear your version of what happened."

Sora groaned. "Oh man… And it's all my fault! If I hadn't done that to Riku this morning, then Jake wouldn't have gotten mad and written the note... But really it's Riku's fault for using Jake in the first place..." He shook his head. _It's all so crazy._

Squall blinked. "Using Jake for what?" _Don't tell me that this is all some sort of twisted love triangle?!_

Yikes! Sora's mouth snapped shut, abruptly. _I shouldn't have said that… _He shrugged and looked away. "Eh… I can't tell you. It's kind of personal, you know."

In other words, I am no longer in your confidence, Squall thought coldly. _But then, we aren't friends anymore, are we?_ "Oh."

"I'd better get to the office, then." Sora announced, and walked quickly around Squall, avoiding his stare. _I still feel weird when he looks at me, but he's right. I should just leave him alone. I wouldn't want to get him in trouble._

Squall watched Sora's retreat, his face emotionless. _This is the way it has to be. _He ran his hands through his hair and started off for his classroom. _But I fucking hate it. Oh God, how I hate it._ He sighed. _I just wish I knew why…_

__

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Notes: I really wanted to call this chapter the Giving Tree, because I feel that the second part of it is so wrapped up in the spirit of giving.

Riku: What the hell are you talking about?

-You see, Sora gave Riku a smack on the ass. Squall gave Sora the cold shoulder. Jake gave Sora a black eye. And Riku gave Jake rabies. It's a chain of giving.

Riku: I do not have rabies!

-Or so you claim… Only, I feel bad because no one gave Squall anything.

Squall: No, that's quite alright. I don't want the sorts of gifts that were being handed out.

Plot: I gave Squall something. Go on, open it up.

Squall: I'm not sure if I should.

Plot: Open the damn box, before I bring Rinoa back as a zombie to eat your brains.

Squall: quickly opens the box Oh, would you look at that. It's Angst. (scowls)

-Ooh, try it on! It looks good on you.

Riku: Ha ha!

Squall: Goddammit…

-While Squall is wallowing in his own self pity, I think we'll answer a few questions:

_1. WHEN IS THERE GONNA BE SLASH!_

Riku: I was wondering the same thing myself. I'm trying to get laid, here.

-Ha, I figured someone would ask that eventually. Well, going with the current plotline that I have set up, chapter 16 will be a full blown lemon. I won't say with whom, though. After that, I think the lemonade will flow more freely. Once I get started with it, I can't stop! You'll be all, "what the hell happened to the plot?!" And I'll be all, "but the naked men are so much more important!!!"

Riku: Eww.

Squall: …I feel so violated…

-Heh. So, to answer your question, soon. Just be patient a little bit longer, and you shall be greatly rewarded.

_2. WHO'S HOTTER? SQUALL OR RIKU?_

-Hmm, I think I'll have to say Squall is hotter.

Squall: Ha!

-But, Riku is sexier. He has that little smirk, and those bedroom eyes… He practically screams "Fondle my goodies."

Riku: Ha! Wait…What?

_3. Will Sora ever tell Squall that he likes him?_

-I think Squall already knows.

_4. So, what kind of gatorade did Sora bring Squall anyway?_

-I was wondering if anyone was going to ask. It was the blue flavor (I forgot the name), because that is the best one.

_5. who will kairi like?_

-You'll see.

_6. is anyone gonna find about sora and squall's little um... encounter?_

-Again, you'll see.

_7. Is Tidus and Wakka together?_

Tidus: What the hell?! I love the ladies! winks So, how you doin'?

-(shoves Tidus away by the face) No, they are not together. Just good friends.

_8. If Riku finds out is he going to try to hurt Sora by having a go with Kairi?_

-No, Riku isn't interested in Kairi at all, and the feeling is quite mutual.

_9. is Sephiroth trying to take Riku away?_

-The thought has crossed his mind.

_10. the non con isn't gonna be Jake & Riku...or worse Jake & Sora!!_

Riku: (covers his ass) All this non-con stuff is scaring me!

-There, there. I'll pay your therapy bills.


	14. Calm Before the Storm

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

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Author's Note: It's been a while, I know. I'm so sorry! Check my profile page if you want the details.

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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__

Satisfaction.

Squall hated himself for it, truly he did. _But still. _He dared another glance at the object of his attention and was once again filled with guilty pleasure.

It was still empty. Riku's unoccupied seat in the class stood out like a glaring beacon declaring none other than that most convenient form of punishments, suspension.

Once again Squall had to stifle a grin at Ansem Hightower's brilliant sense of justice. _Three whole days of peace. _He sighed and continued to watch the progress of the students as they worked quietly on the study guide, preparing for the upcoming test on chapter five. Once over the initial bump with The Pearl, they'd progressed swiftly through the Gift of the Magi, The Monkey's Paw, and The Game. The students had finally grown accustomed to him, it seemed. _I think I'm getting the hang of this teaching thing. Except…_ He shot a look at the other object of his attention.

Sora worked quietly, pausing every so often to cough or sneeze. He rubbed absently at his eyes with one hand while scribbling answers with the other. Not once had he looked in Squall's direction or spoken to him since the day before, after the fight.

Squall wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed, but he knew what he felt. An aching sense of loneliness and a growing amount of self-reproach. He dreamt about Sora again last night, and in some ways he found himself missing the Rinoa dreams. At least those nightmares only showed things that had already happened, these new dreams showed something that was wholly out of his reach.

An explosive sneeze broke through the silence, and Sora covered his mouth in embarrassment. _I should've stayed at home. _The irony of catching Squall's cold was not lost on him. _But there's no one to come take care of me, since Squall and I are barely on speaking terms, and Riku is on punishment. _He grimly reflected on the call he'd gotten last night.

__

"She grounded me, Sora. We're talking complete house arrest here."

"Then what are you doing on the phone?" Sora had asked, around a mouthful of toothpaste.

"You know that one phone call that inmates get to make? This is it."

"And you called me? I'm so flattered."

"Who the hell else was I supposed to call? My dad, so he could bitch me out? Maybe Jake? Ask him how he liked his taste of ass-whooping, and if he wants a second helping?"

"Not funny." Sora had responded, frowning. He heard Lillian's voice in the background, telling Riku to wrap it up, kiddo.

"Sorry." Riku amended. "Well, the reason I called is because I need you to get my homework assignments for me. I don't want to be stuck at that lame school by myself while you're away at some brainiac college next year."

Riku had gotten off the phone soon after that, leaving Sora to wonder just what he was going to do with so much time alone. _Recuperate, by the looks of things. _He stole a longing glance at the box of tissues sitting on the edge of Squall's desk. He was dying to get a few, but that would mean approaching his teacher, and he wasn't willing to risk it. _What if I go over there, and he looks at me, and I make a fool of myself? I can't. _He sneezed again, this one louder than before. He ducked his head, mortified.

"Ugh! Sora's getting mucus all over his book!" squawked Tidus gleefully, glad for any distraction from the monotony.

__

That's it! Squall pushed back his chair with a loud scrape, and snatched the box of Kleenex off of his desk. He strode over to Sora's desk and stood directly in front of it. _Look up, damn you. Look at me._

Sora sensed the shadow fall over him even before he caught a glimpse of long slack-covered legs standing in front of his desk. Gradually he lifted his gaze, wondering what Squall was doing now.

"Here." Squall set the box of Kleenex down on Sora's closed textbook with a loud thump. _I got him to look at me, but it only made me feel worse. It was so empty… meaningless._

Sora dropped his eyes to the Kleenex. "Oh. Thank you, Mr. Leonhart." He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him, and he was eternally grateful that he didn't slip up and call him Squall.

In that moment Squall could've strangled him. He nodded curtly, and returned to his own desk. Irked by his childish behavior, he opened his teacher's edition and began to browse, forcing his mind back to work.

Every few minutes, one of Sora's muffled sneezes reached Squall's ears, and he winced. _I'm the reason he's sick, in the first place._ He sighed. _Who would think so much trouble could come from one little kiss?_ Except it wasn't one little kiss, it was the best damn kiss he could ever remember having in his life, and that terrified him._ I told him to leave me alone, and he did. But now I can't leave him alone. I miss him, for fuck's sake, and I want him back in my company._ Distantly he heard the ringing of the bell and abandoned his musings. "No homework. Just keep working on your study guides, so that you'll be ready for the test on Monday. I know you may be tempted to slack off, but don't. We're covering a lot of material, here."

"No shit." Tidus muttered under his breath.

Squall decided Tidus wasn't worth the effort to discipline. "Class dismissed." He watched as the students packed their belongings and left the classroom. Again his eyes wandered to Sora.

Sora looked up, somewhat surprised to see Squall staring at him. _What is his deal? Oh yeah, I have his tissues. _Slowly, he stood and picked up the box of Kleenex. He weaved his way through the chairs to Squall's desk. "Here you go."

Squall looked up at Sora, his expression carefully neutral. _You're killing me, you know. Driving me right up the goddamn wall. _"Keep them."

"Oh." Sora blinked, feeling rather awkward. _Why does he keep looking at me like he wants something from me? _"Thank you, Mr Leonh-"

"Don't call me that." Squall interrupted, irritated. "You never really called me that before, so don't bother to start now."

Sora blinked again. _Then what am I supposed to call you? You're not making any sense. _"Okay…"

Squall sighed and ran his hands through his hair. _I don't know what I want anymore. _"Sora," he began, still unsure what to say. _I'm sorry I've been such an ass to you. I know I'm your teacher, but I really like you, and if it's not too creepy, can I take you out on a date or something?_

Sora felt his heart give a squeeze. _He's acting so weird. Could it be that he misses me? _"Yes?" _What would I do if he said that? What would I think?_ He swallowed.

__

Forget it. "I'm sorry I gave you my cold." Squall finished, feeling disgusted with himself for the millionth time. _I must **want** to go to jail, not to mention get fired and possibly run out of town. What the hell is wrong with me!_

Sora stared at him strangely for a moment, and then smiled. _Well, even if he doesn't miss me, I miss him. I'll always love talking to him._ "Don't worry about it. It was worth it." He said, and then blushed.

Squall looked up, oddly pleased. "Was it really?"

Sora nodded shyly. "In some ways, yes." He studied his hands for a moment, before finally meeting Squall's eyes. They were unreadable, but he continued anyway. "But not in other ways. I miss hanging out with you." _It felt really good to say that. _He looked away, his face red. "Well… I've got to go. Thanks for the tissue."

"Anything you need." Squall replied. "I mean that." He watched Sora's hesitant nod, and silent retreat, the words of his former roommate invading his mind.

__

"I know you, Leonhart. When you fall, you fall hard. You'll be sitting in your room writing love letters soon enough."

Squall groaned. _Oh, fuck you, Strife. Fuck you for always being so damn observant. _Against his will, he found his eyes drawn to the top drawer of his desk. He opened it, his gaze roaming over bright yellow highlighters, green post-it notes, scattered paperclips, and the roster. _Are they even still in here? _He reached far back into the drawer and found what he was looking for. Leaning back in his chair, he examined the thick stack of rubber band wrapped index cards. _Family cards, Miss Hall called them. _They were collected on the first day of school, and contained the addresses, phone numbers, and parent's names of every student in the class. Absently, he unwound the rubber band, and began to flip through the cards, his eyes roaming over the names. When he found the one with Sora's information, he pulled it from the stack and replaced the other cards in the drawer. _This is uncomfortably close to stalking,_ he mused as he tucked the card safely into his bag. _I'll probably never use it, but just in case I finally get my thoughts together, I could give him a call…_

· ·§· ·

"No shit!" exclaimed Tidus. He clapped a hand over his mouth and slumped over the lunch table, laughing uproariously.

Sora sighed. "Yeah. They suspended Riku for three days." He shook his head. "Him and Jake both, which was only fair, I guess." He picked dejectedly at his salad. "I just wish I could've stopped them."

"You tried, ya." Wakka assured him, patting him on the back. "That's good enough."

"Yep, and you even got yourself a badge of honor." Tidus teased, sitting up. "How's that eye holding up, anyway?"

"The swelling has gone down, but it's still so dark." Sora grimaced. "My mom had a royal fit." He sighed again, wondering if things would've turned out differently if he hadn't kissed Riku in front of the lockers. _I kissed Squall and destroyed our friendship. I kissed Riku and got him suspended. Maybe I should keep my lips to myself._

"I've got some good news that might cheer you up." Tidus announced. "Selphie Tilwitt is going to throw a huge party this Friday night to get everybody revved up for the game."

"Oh yeah, homecoming. It's next week, right?" asked Sora. The game kept slipping his mind. _I guess I've had enough to think about as it is._

"Right." Tidus confirmed. "Although, we've got it in the bag." He leaned closer and spoke in a confidential whisper, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Wakka had it fixed for us. It's all been arranged. We can't lose."

Wakka rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, ya."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, interested.

Tidus smirked. "He's dating a girl from our rival school, Midgar High. She's a cute little thing, too. Kind of flat-chested, but she has these big brown eyes-"

Wakka reached over and mashed Tidus' head down onto the table. "I've heard about enough, ya."

Tidus squirmed free, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh ugh! Could you do me a favor, and warn me the next time you go ballistic and shove my face onto that nasty ass table? I had my mouth open and everything!"

"Your mouth is always open, ya." joked Wakka, chuckling. "That's your problem."

Sora laughed. "Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend, Wakka?"

Wakka shrugged. "It didn't seem like a big deal, ya. I mean, I'm not that public, like you and Riku." He winked. "I've heard all the stories, ya."

Sora blushed. "Ha, I guess you have a point." He took a sip of fruit punch to cover his embarrassment.

"Oh shit, he's blushing!" teased Tidus. He leaned close again and wiggled his eyebrows. "So, did you and Riku do it, yet?"

Sora choked. "Geez," he said after a moment. "You never give up, do you?"

"Nah." Tidus admitted. "So, did you?"

"Of course not!" Sora protested. "What do you think I am?"

"Riku's boyfriend." Tidus explained. "I mean, it's practically mandatory that you give it up. It's your civic duty to protect the rest of us from his sex-crazed ass."

"Oh come on," Sora argued. "I'm not really that interested in that sort of thing just yet."

"He must be a virgin." stated Tidus, exchanging a knowing glance with Wakka.

Wakka shrugged. "To each his own, ya."

Sora's face flamed. "So what! Maybe I am. That doesn't mean anything!"

"It means that Riku is going to have a hell of a time. You'll be his hardest conquest yet." Tidus replied, laughing.

Cheeks burning yet again, Sora decided that it would be in his best interests to finish his meal and remain silent. He munched on the salad, pondering Tidus' words. _Is Riku really expecting me to sleep with him so early? I mean, I'm not sure that I even want to. I know I'm not ready. _His mind traveled back to the afternoon at Squall's apartment, with Squall's hands on his skin and in his hair as he kissed him on the leather sofa. He had felt ready enough at that time. Sora blanched. _That was different. I feel differently with Squall, than I do with Riku. I'm sure if Riku give me time, though…_

· ·§· ·

Riku scrubbed frantically at the dishes, wanting to finish them so that he could start on something else. Strands of silver hair fell in his eyes, and he swept them back with a bubble-covered hand and groaned. "I hate housework."

Riku had been cleaning since he'd woken up, hoping on some level to get back on good terms with his mother. Sure enough she'd given him the Look of Disappointment that he hated so much, and grounded him without hearing his side of the story, but at least she hadn't lectured him. _Yet. _Possessed of guilt for upsetting his mother, Riku had awakened early as though he were going to school, and proceeded to clean like a madman, wanting his mother to feel that he hadn't been completely useless today. He thought back to Sora and sighed. Sora had looked so out of place in Principal Hightower's office, answering questions and giving his own version of the incident. Miraculously, Sora had been able to explain everything so well that Riku and Jake both got off with only a three day sentence, as opposed to the two week suspension that Ansem had been dangling over their heads before Sora arrived.

__

Three days still isn't enough for Addison, Riku thought bitterly. The sight of Sora's black eye had triggered another outburst from him, prompting Ansem to threaten him with mandatory anger management classes_. I still can't believe he hit him so hard. Addison must be psycho._ Riku had wanted to stay for the remainder of the day and check on Sora, but Ansem had been adamant that the boys leave with their parents immediately. _Thank God the secretary called ma, and not my dad. _He grimaced. _That could've been unpleasant._

Riku finished the dishes, and pulled the plug. He watched the water drain for a few moments, and then dried his hands with a paper towel. "Now what can I do?" He glanced around. He had already cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, even deigning to vacuum although he hated his mom's Dirt Devil with a passion. He glanced at the clock. _She'll be home soon. There's nothing really left to do. _His stomach grumbled. _Oh… well, I could make dinner. That might impress her. _"It's worth a shot." he mumbled, and walked over to the fridge, opening it. He took a long look inside. "...Shit..."

"Dominos Pizza." the voice answered on the second ring.

"Yes, I'd like to order for delivery." Riku replied, embarrassed. _I really did want to cook, but I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do with a pack of raw chicken breasts? I don't know how to cook that! _He told the person his order and address, and hung up the phone. _At least I'm paying for it. _He jogged upstairs to get his money. Upon entering his bedroom, he stripped out of his damp shirt and changed into a comfortable jersey. _Today was such a waste of clothes. _He found his wallet and carefully removed a twenty bill, tucking it into the pocket of his jeans. He shot a glance at the clock. His mom would be home soon. _I just hope the pizza gets here before she does, or I'll be looking pretty stupid._

Thankfully, the doorbell rang thirty minutes later. Riku bounded down the steps, grateful that something seemed to be going right for once. He opened the door.

A bored-looking teenager with blue hair stood on the step holding out the familiar red bag as though he were allergic to it. "Did somebody order a large pizza with everything on it and an order of cinnastix?"

"Yeah," Riku began, and then blinked. _What the hell? _He burst into laughter as he recognized the delivery boy. "Shit Seymour, why didn't you tell me you worked for Dominos?"

Seymour groaned. "Come on, give me a break. It's bad enough working for Dominos without every damn body at school knowing about it. People keep asking me for hook-ups and shit." He opened the bag and handed Riku the pizza and cinnastix.

"I would've asked too, if I knew you were bringing it." Riku admitted, grinning. "Come on, how about you let me have the cinnastix for free?"

"How about I kick your ass and then leave?" Seymour replied. His blue eyes lit up. "That reminds me, everybody was talking about you and Jake today. Selphie's pissed off, because you two stole her thunder."

"What thunder?" Riku asked, rolling his eyes.

"She's throwing a huge party Friday night. You know, for homecoming." Seymour replied. "It's going to be wild. But of course, all anybody could talk about was how you owned Jake. He's my teammate and all, but whatever." He shrugged. "Anyway, your total is 18.45"

Riku graciously held out the twenty. "Here you go. Keep the change."

"Wow." Seymour responded dryly. "A whole dollar and fifty-five cents. I can quit my lame job and retire, at this rate." He turned and walked down the driveway to his parked Honda.

"You just keep up that good mood." Riku called after him, snickering. "I'll bet you'll be the manager in no time."

"Manage this." Seymour drawled, lifting his middle finger. "Later."

Riku closed the door and carried the food into the kitchen to wait. _A party, huh? I'll definitely be there. Who knows, maybe I can even get Sora to go with me. People always get laid at parties... _The sound of a key turning caught his attention. _Here we go, _he thought darkly, walking back into the living room. He stood by the kitchen door, not sure what to do. _What will I say to her? Should I lie or tell the truth, or just stay silent?_

The door opened and Lillian stepped in. As she closed the door, her blue eyes met his for an instant and then she looked away. _Does she have to look so unhappy? _"Um, hi." Riku started.

"Hi, Riku." Lillian answered, walking over to the closet.

"How was work?" He questioned, trying to make some sort of conversation.

Lillian took off her coat and hung it up in the hall closet. "It was fine."

The lackluster tone of his mother's voice frightened Riku. _I think I really upset her this time. _"I bought pizza." he offered sheepishly.

"How thoughtful of you." Lillian responded, sighing. "But you're still grounded."

"But ma," Riku argued. "I don't think it was right how you just grounded me without hearing my side of the story!"

"Kiddo, the last thing I want to do after having to leave work to pick you up from school, is to listen to your justification for beating up some poor classmate." Lillian looked at him, and her face seemed drained of it's vitality. "Look Riku, you're in trouble, and I think you understand why, but apparently we still need to talk about it." She sat down on the couch.

"Okay, I'm willing to talk." Riku agreed quickly, sitting down beside her. _Anything if she'll stop looking so sick of me_. He glanced at her somewhat anxiously.

"Your father seems to think that I haven't been raising you right, that I've been too lenient, and I'm starting to agree with him." Lillian began. "Before I had thought that his opinion was ridiculous and self-serving, but now I'm wondering if maybe he was right. Maybe he could've done a better job with you."

__

What, is she going to give me to dad! I'd go insane! "But ma," Riku pleaded. "You can't give me to him-"

"I'm not, but let me finish." Lillian cut him off. "I've been tolerant of your somewhat spirited behavior, and your disinterest with school, but I cannot tolerant violence, Riku! That boy could've gotten seriously hurt because of you! Think of how his mother must feel."

"I didn't start the fight, ma. You know I'm not like that." Riku insisted.

"But Riku, why did you finish it? Why get into a fight at all? Didn't I teach you to be better than that?" Lillian sighed and shook her head. _Sephiroth is going to have a field day if he finds out. Good thing Riku is almost eighteen, or he'd be dragging me to court._

"I did it for Sora." Riku said quietly, staring at his feet.

"What?" Lillian asked, startled.

"I did it to protect Sora." Riku said, louder this time. "Jake found out about me and Sora and he left a crude note taped to his locker. It pissed me off, so I went to confront Jake, but Sora talked me out of it." He shook his head. "He has so much control over me, it's scary."

Lillian watched Riku as he talked, her suspicions about her son's feelings for his best friend confirmed. "I see."

"Well, what happened next is that Sora was leading me away, when he looked back at Jake. And then Jake just snapped and went after Sora." Riku clenched his fists. "You don't understand what it was like to watch Jake trying to attack him. I just lost it, and the next thing I knew, I was attacking Jake. I wanted to hurt him so much, because of the way he tried to hurt Sora. I might've really messed him up if my teacher hadn't broken up the fight."

"Maybe I should send this teacher a thank you card and a gift basket." Lillian quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Riku frowned. "No way. I can't stand him, and he doesn't like me either. He hates the way that Sora and I feel about each other."

__

There it is. "And how do you feel about Sora?" Lillian asked gently.

"I love him." Riku said simply. He looked up, and the honesty and emotion in his eyes was mildly frightening. "I've always loved him. Ever since we were little kids."

Lillian nodded. "I've suspected as much, myself. I just wasn't sure if you knew it. Does Sora know how you feel?"

Riku nodded reluctantly. "Yeah… he's my boyfriend now. That's why Jake was so mad at him. He likes me too." _I wonder how this changes things._

"Ah, I see." Lillian said sagely. "Love triangle, that age-old problem." She rose to her feet. "I suppose it isn't entirely your fault, then. These things can happen to anybody."

"If you knew how I felt about Sora, why didn't you ever say anything?" Riku blurted out suddenly. _I can't believe she's okay with it! Dad would probably disown me if he knew! Maybe I should tell him…_

"I figured that it wasn't any of my business, Riku." Lillian replied, shrugging.

The release from pressure to conform was too great. Riku grasped at straws, unable to believe it. "But you're not disappointed in me?"

Lillian shook her head, blonde hair swishing gently. "Of course not! Why would I be?" She leaned down so that their foreheads were touching. "Let me tell you something, kiddo." She smiled warmly. "You're my son, no matter who you like. I have loved you since the day I felt your tiny kick in my womb, and I always will love you. Nothing can change that, sweetie."

This was the kind of love that he craved. Love free of judgment and conditions. The kind of love his father was afraid to give him. Riku surged to his feet, and clutched his mother, hugging her fiercely, taking in the scent of her perfume. "I love you too, mom."

"I know, Riku." she said, softly stroking his hair. "By the way, you're still grounded."

"Ma!" Riku cried, stepping back. "What do you mean I'm still grounded? Didn't you say it wasn't my fault, that I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Well yes," Lillian admitted. "But still, I'm not about to reward you for beating up your classmate. You know I don't approve of violence."

Riku scowled. "Aww man! That's so fucked up-"

"Riku!" warned Lillian.

"I mean, that's such a crying shame." Riku corrected, still frowning.

Lillian couldn't help laughing. "I suppose it is, but it won't be too bad. All I ask is that you keep the house spotless while you're on suspension."

"That's it?" Riku asked, brightening. _This'll be a breeze!_

"And that you don't watch television, talk on the phone, play video games, listen to music, or go out until your suspension is over." Lillian added.

"Jesus Christ!" Riku exclaimed, clapping a hand over his face.

"Has nothing to do with it." Lillian replied. "Next time you think about getting into a fight, you remember your punishment for this one. Besides, it's only for a few days. Your last day of suspension is Friday, so that's when I'll let you off. Relax, kiddo." She ruffled his hair, and turned to walk into the kitchen.

Riku sighed heavily. "Is that Friday night or Friday afternoon?"

Lillian turned around. "What's the difference?"

"There is an extremely important party that I have to be at Friday night." Riku explained, his expression grave. "It is essential that I show up. It's not about the fun, ma. It's a social political thing, really."

"Oh, I don't know, Riku." Lillian replied thoughtfully. "I mean, what kind of message am I sending you if I let you go to a party the same week you beat up somebody?"

"Fight hard, play hard?" Riku suggested, snickering.

"No way." Lillian answered, turning back to the kitchen. "You're not contrite enough. I don't think so, kiddo."

"Wait, please ma." Riku begged. "If I don't go, my rep will be ruined! Everyone will say I'm hiding with my tail between my legs like a little bitch-"

"Alright now." Lillian interjected.

"Like a punk." Riku corrected. "Plus, Sora will be with me." _I hope. _"He'll keep me out of trouble." he added, knowing that his mother considered Sora to be the responsible one, and rightly so.

Lillian sighed. "Well, if Sora's going, then I guess it'll be okay."

__

Yes! Riku sighed with relief, pumping his fist in the air. "Thanks, ma!"

Lillian smiled at her son's theatrics. "You're welcome. Now let me eat, dammit."

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****

Notes: This chapter took me forever to write. I think it's because I knew what was coming next, and I couldn't figure out how I wanted to lead up to it. I decided to go with a the calm before the storm approach. And what is the storm, you ask? You'll just have to wait until chapter 15.

Riku: What the fuck! I mean you haven't updated in months, and now you want to act cute!

-Heh. Well, it won't be a long wait. That's right, folks. I'm doing a double update again. For three reasons. 1, I don't know when the next chance I'll get to update again is. The campus labs are quite honestly, insufferable to say the least. 2, I don't like to hold onto fully completed chapters for too long, given my past luck with computers. 3, I feel bad for leaving everybody hanging so long. As for City of Dying Dreams, I actually did lose chapter 5 of that in the last crash. I didn't know it at the time, though. So, there will be a bit of a wait for that one.

Squall: I don't really care about that one, anyway.

-Oh, you will, when I get to your involvement with Cloud. Oh yes, you'll care.

Squall: ...Shit...

-Anyway, I know I've said it before, but I really want to deeply thank all of you. You have no idea how much your comments meant to me when I finally got to my profile and saw them. I love all of you. Even more than **chocolate cake**.

Riku: You mean, that greedy woman finally loves something more than food?

-I just hope that everyone continues to offer their support and constructive criticism, and I will continue to try to improve and to update as often as I can. Thank you so much! Oh, and I also added two one-shots to this site, both of which are Kingdom Hearts. As for this story, I have to warn you, the next chapter is a bit dark. Read it at your discretion.


	15. Things Fall Apart

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

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Author's Note: This chapter contains **character death**. Sorry. sobs This chapter has a bit of angst, a bit of blood, and a bit of sadistic behavior. Better not bring your kids!

****

Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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"You're not really wearing that, are you?" Riku asked.

Sora turned around, confused. "What's wrong with it? I wore it to school, didn't I?" It was Friday night and he had barely finished his study guide before Riku had come bursting into his room, telling him it was time to go.

Riku sighed. "Sora, you dope. That's what's wrong with it. You don't wear your outfit from school when you go out at night. You change into something cool. Something that'll make all the girls oooh and aaah at your ass when you walk by."

Sora laughed. "Well, I don't care what the girls think. It's not like I'm interested in them."

"Sora…" Riku groaned. "I can't let you go to Selphie Tilwitt's party looking like that."

Sora stopped laughing and eyed Riku strangely. "You're really serious, aren't you?"

Riku sat up. "Dead."

Sora felt a sudden sense of icy coldness wash over him. "What did you say?"

"Dead. You know, as in dead serious." Riku explained, standing. He brushed past Sora, and opened the doors of his closet. "You might as well strip, because you're wearing something else."

Sora groaned. "I don't even want to go to this stupid party, and now you're telling me that I have to dress up." Resigned, he stripped out of his shirt, tossing it into his clothesbasket. _I think I'll keep my pants on for the time being, or Riku might lose his mind._

Riku tossed a shirt over his shoulder. "Here. Take this."

Sora caught the shirt and looked at it. It was the same dragon shirt he'd worn that day he'd met Squall in the grocery store. He hadn't touched it since. _I wonder what Squall's doing tonight. Probably in his apartment making the test for Monday. _He found his memory traveling back to the first day in Squall's apartment, when Squall had trapped him by the fish tank. _I knew it then, what I felt for him. _A pair of dark blue jeans hit him in the chest. "Hey!"

Riku turned around. "It's your own fault. I told you to catch, but you were off in your own little world…" he trailed off, his eyes finally taking in the sight of Sora's half-nakedness.

Sora held the jeans up in front of himself as a shield. _Uh oh. _"Riku, I know what you're thinking."

"Oh, do you?" Riku asked. He smirked, and took a step closer to Sora. "And what am I thinking?"

Sora took a step back. "You're thinking something perverted."

Riku tried an attempt at looking innocent and failed miserably. "Me, perverted? Never." He took another step. "Well…" he grinned. "Unless you consider the thought of being fashionably late to the party because we'll be in here screwing like rabbits to be perverted."

Sora wrapped the jeans around himself. "There's no time!"

"There's always time." Riku assured him. "At the very least, I think we could manage a sixty-nine."

__

A what! Traces of rumors and late night premium channel programs came oozing into his mind. "I'm not doing that!" Sora proclaimed. "No way!"

Riku shrugged. "Well fine, I'll just do you, then. But, let's just do **something**, because you are driving me crazy…"

Sora dropped the jeans, and quickly pulled the dragon shirt over his head. "There! See! Now you have no reason to act all funny on me." He could tell by the look in Riku's eyes that the damage was already done, but he didn't give up his hope.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You still have to change pants."

Sora looked at his jeans, stricken. _If I take these off, I'm doomed. _"I'll just wear this pair."

Riku crossed his arms. "Nope. Don't make me have to wrestle you out of those. If I do that, then to hell with the party, because neither one of us is leaving anytime soon." He shrugged. "So, go ahead and change. I won't try anything."

Sora stared at Riku for a long moment, evaluating.

"Really." Riku insisted. "I just want a little sneaky peak, honest. After that, we can leave."

Seeing no other solution, Sora hesitantly unzipped his jeans. After making sure that Riku had not moved any closer, he turned his back, let them drop to the floor and stepped out of them.

"Sucker." Riku said, and pounced.

"Riku!" squawked Sora, struggling to escape his friend's arms. "You said you wouldn't try anything!"

"I lied." Riku answered, letting his hands roam over Sora's lower half. "Never turn your back on a pervert, you fool."

Sora went still as one of Riku's hands made contact with his crotch. It was the first time anyone had ever touched him there, and he suddenly lost his ability to stand.

"Damn!" Riku exclaimed as Sora turned to water in his arms. "You really are new at this." _I'm going to be his first someday. Soon, I hope. _He lightly blew warm air on the back of his friend's neck. "So, how about it? A bit of the old slap and tickle?" He tugged at the waistband of Sora's boxers.

__

He never gives up! "No…" Sora held Riku's wrist, trying vainly to stay his hand. _Why am I fighting this so hard? I do like him, but this just doesn't feel right! _"I'm not ready, okay?"

"God!" Riku muttered, and let go of Sora. He ran a hand through his hair, his expression irritated. "Well, when are you going to be ready? Because I'm getting sick of waiting."

Sora stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. "Riku… we just started going out last week!"

"But I've known you all my life!" Riku shot back. _Why does he have to act like such a chick? _He sighed. "I'm not a virgin like you, Sora. I have certain needs."

__

So what, I'm some kind of defective freak, now? Sora shook his head. "I understand, but you have to understand too… I'm not one of your conquests, Riku. You have to be patient with me." He pleaded.

"I am being patient!" Riku snapped. "But you won't even let me touch you…" He sighed again and walked over to the door. "If you didn't want to be with me, then why did you agree to be my boyfriend?" _Maybe he is repulsed by me._

__

You never really gave me a choice. Sora looked away. "Riku, I do want to be with you. I just need more time." _Why is he pressuring me like this?_

"Whatever." Riku opened the door. "I'll be outside. At least if you hurry, this night won't be a total waste."

Sora watched Riku leave, and let out a frustrated sigh. _He's right. I am pushing him away a lot. But…_ He tugged his dark blue jeans on. _I just can't do it. It feels too forced. _He glanced at his watch. _Ten-o-clock. It's already so late… I just wish I could stay home. _He turned off his light and left the room. _But Riku would flip out for sure. _He descended the stairs halfheartedly. He was somewhat surprised to see Kairi sitting on the couch with his mother, watching television. "You're not going to the party?"

Kairi shook her head, her eyes glued to the screen. "No thanks. Parties make me feel weird, like I'm expected to get all crazy and take my shirt off just because I'm a teenaged girl."

"My goodness, are those actual roaches they're eating!" questioned Sonja, her face horrified.

"That's why they call it Fear Factor, Aunt Sonja." explained Kairi. She reluctantly turned from the screen. "Have fun, okay? And make sure you get some good gossip for me."

"When do you think you'll be back, Sora?" Sonja inquired, eyeing him carefully. She wasn't entirely okay with Sora and Riku walking the streets so late at night, but they were seniors after all. _Sora will be going away to college in less than a year, but he still looks so young._

"Hopefully soon." Sora admitted. "I don't really want to go, so I won't stay long."

Sonja smiled, relieved. "Alright then. Be careful, okay?"

Sora nodded, and opened the door. "I will. See you later." He stepped out into the cold night air, and pulled his familiar black sweatshirt over his head.

"You just ruined a perfectly good outfit." Riku groaned, leaning against the mailbox. "And after I worked so hard to get you into it, too." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Sora. I acted like a drunken frat boy, and that's not cool."

"It's okay." Sora replied. _I know what it's like to want something you can't have. Wait, what! _He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Um, you'd better lead the way." _I refuse to think about Squall tonight. I have enough problems without adding that one._

"Right." Riku answered, and took Sora's arm. They walked for several minutes in an awkward silence, neither one knowing what to say. Riku kept stealing glances at Sora, wishing he knew what his boyfriend was thinking. _If only he realized how much I love him. _He cleared his throat. "Sora…"

"Yeah?" Sora answered, roused from his thoughts.

"I'm going to wait for you." Riku announced. _Even though it's killing me inside. _"I mean it. No more pressuring you or anything. I don't want to chase you away."

Sora felt a twinge of guilt. "Thanks, Riku…" _It doesn't feel right, because I keep thinking about Squall. But that's never going to happen! Why can't I just get over it? _"You won't chase me away." He grinned. "I might press charges, though."

"Oh great, then my dad will throw me in military school for sure." Riku groaned. He peered at a street sign. "Yep, this is the neighborhood."

Sora noticed the houses changing as they walked, and marveled at the size of some of them. "Wow… Selphie lives in this area? Her parents much be rich." He felt outclassed when he realized that his own home wasn't even half as large as some of these.

Riku shrugged. "Lot of good it's done for her. She's just a ditzy slut, rich folks or not. Money isn't everything, you know." He stopped at the bottom of a long driveway. "Here's her house."

Sora blinked. _Whoa. _"If you don't like Selphie, then why are we going to her party?"

"Because it's expected of me." Riku sighed, heading up the long gravel path. "I'm in the whole "it" crowd. If I'm not there, then people will talk. Not like I give a fuck, but eh, whatever."

"Oh." Sora said, following him. "Then why am I going?" _I don't really want to be here. _Something had been gnawing at the edges of his mind, an ominous cloud seeping into his thoughts, hinting at a dangerous fear that he hesitated to name. _It's irrational really, but still…_

Riku threw an arm around Sora's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "Because I'd go nuts without you. What are you so nervous about? Wakka will be there. So will Tidus, unfortunately."

"But what if Jake is there?" Sora questioned, finally voicing his fears. "What if he's still mad at you? Riku, I have a bad feeling about all of this. Let's just go home and do something else."

Riku's eyes lit up. "Have sex?"

"No!" Sora choked. "That's not what I meant! I meant, like just hang out or something."

Riku sighed. "Sora… you know, I love you. But you're killing my social life! No sex, no running the streets, and now you're trying to tell me no parties?"

"I'm not saying that!" Sora argued. "It's just… Oh, forget it." He trudged ahead of Riku, still afraid, but now angry as well. "I'm sorry if my social life isn't as exciting as yours. I'll try to remedy that." He stopped in front of the French doors, his mind screaming at him to just go home.

"Look Sora," started Riku, his tone low. "I don't ask for much from you. But I'm not about to turn and run home with my tail between my legs, just because you're so fucking afraid of people. Jake is harmless, and I'm not sacrificing my reputation over this. Grow up."

Sora sighed and rung the doorbell. "Whatever, Riku." He had started to get a headache, and he didn't feel like arguing. _We fight so much, and we just started going out… Should we really be dating?_ "Just leave me alone, okay?"

Riku flinched. "Sora, I didn't mean-"

The door opened, bathing them both in light. "Hiya!" Selphie said brightly, peering out at them. Her eyes narrowed at Riku. "Oh. Well come in." She stepped back so that they could pass.

Sora entered the house, his headache not helped by the loud music he heard blaring from one direction. He looked around, awed by the size of the building. Kids from school were everywhere, just milling around in doorways or on furniture, and there was still plenty of space. He purposefully lost himself in the crowd, and made his way into the living room, relieved to spot Tidus and Wakka sitting on the sofa sectional, watching a football game on TV. Immediately he joined them. "Hey guys!" he shouted to be heard over the music.

They both looked up. "Hey!" greeted Tidus. "Where's Riku?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "He's around."

Tidus exchanged a glance with Wakka. "Shit…"

"What'd that dumbass do now, ya?" Wakka asked.

Sora shook his head. "Nothing. It's stupid." He sat down and tried to watch the game to no avail. _This is so boring. _A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he noticed for the first time a girl sitting next to Wakka, one hand on his leg. He took a long look and blinked. "Oh, hey! I know you! You're the girl from Safeway."

Yuffie leaned forward and peered at Sora. "Oh yeah! You came in with that really hot guy, last Saturday!"

Wakka and Tidus both swiveled their heads around to gape at Sora. "What!" they said in unison

Sora felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "I…"

"But Riku was out of town last weekend!" Tidus protested.

"Yuffie, what did the guy look like, ya?" Wakka inquired, his mind working furiously.

Sora shot a desperate glance at Yuffie. _Please…_

Yuffie caught the message. "Oh…" She giggled and looked away. "I don't know. I forgot." She stood up and tugged on Wakka's arm. "Come on, you big lug. I want to dance. I'm a great dancer."

"The great dancer Yuffie, ya." Wakka teased, allowing himself to be dragged away.

Sora watched them go, relieved. _Whew._

"Shit!" cried Tidus. "Damn chicks and their silly notions of loyalty." He stuck his tongue out at Sora. "Don't worry. I'm going to find out, and then I'm going to tell your boyfriend."

Sora paled.

"I'm just kidding." Tidus laughed. "Don't make that face. I know that you're no cheater. You don't have the guts to cheat." He caught notice of a particularly interesting play and cheered. "Sweet! It's like I always said man, no matter how bad a year the Cowboys might have, they always crush the Skins. Never fails."

"I guess." Sora replied, not having a clue what Tidus was talking about. "Those are teams, right?"

Tidus snickered. "You're so clueless. So anyway, I was thinking, I might dye my hair blue for homecoming, because red, white, and blue are the school colors. But I'd look weird with red hair. And white is too similar to blond. What do you think?"

"I think you'd look pretty hot with blue hair." Sora answered distractedly, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. _Oh boy…_He glanced at Tidus. _I hope he didn't take that the wrong way._

Tidus laughed, blushing. "Okay, maybe I was wrong... Sora, you Casanova, you are cheating, aren't you? You just tried to pick me up!" He wriggled his eyebrows. "You smooth talker, you. Who is he?"

Sora waved his hands frantically. "No! I wasn't thinking! I mean, you asked!" He was starting to blush himself. _First Cloud, and now Tidus. Squall set me off on some sort of blond rampage_. "It's not like that, I swear!"

"Sure." Tidus said amicably, leaning back into the couch. "If you say so. I'm still telling Riku."

"Telling me what?" Riku asked, leaning over the back of the couch, close enough to breathe on the back of Tidus' neck.

Tidus jumped and blushed again, wiping at the back of his neck. "Shit!" He glared at Riku as he hopped over the couch, settling down between him and Sora. "That was extremely uncool."

"You'd know all about being uncool." Riku shot back. "Now, what was it you were going to tell me?"

"I seemed to have forgotten… Oh wait, I remember… To go to hell." Tidus quipped, flipping up his middle finger.

Riku rolled his eyes. "It probably wasn't important, anyway." He nudged Sora. "Hey, I was looking for you. You kind of just walked off and left me."

Sora pretended to be engrossed in the game. "Well, you found me."

Riku elbowed Sora in the side. "Give it up, you probably don't have a clue what's going on."

Sora sighed and dropped the façade. "Riku, I want to go home."

Riku groaned. "Okay, how about this. I'll go get you something to drink, you stay here, while I do a little mingling, and then we can leave."

Sora returned to the game. _It's better than nothing. _"Fine."

Riku stood. "You want something, Goldilocks?"

"If it isn't too much for you to handle." Tidus replied, his own attentions returning to the game.

Riku walked off, making his way through the crowd. _Sora was right, it doesn't feel good to be here. _The other kids were dancing, laughing, and having fun, but it all felt wrong to Riku. It was something under the skin of the party, and he couldn't place it. Absently, he pushed open the double doors to the kitchen and stepped inside. He saw Jake standing by a counter, wringing his hands. He immediately stopped when he saw Riku, his eyes almost relieved. _The hell? _"Oh, you're in here. I'll wait." Riku got ready to duck back out.

"Riku, wait. I need to talk to you." Jake announced, dropping his hands to his sides.

Riku shot him a dirty look. "I don't have anything to say to you. Not a fucking word."

"Please." Jake said, clearly desperate. "Just this once, and then I'll never so much as look your way again. I swear."

Riku sighed. "Fine. Go ahead, spill it."

Jake shook his head. "Not here. Upstairs, in the big bedroom. I'll go up first and then you follow me when you're ready."

"Whatever." Riku griped. "Just don't make a scene or anything." He watched as Jake left the kitchen, and then made his way to the punch bowl. Cautiously, he lifted the ladle and took a sniff. _Whew! This punch is spiked all to Hell. _He took a sip. _But, I don't think it was ever really punch to begin with. Hey, I wonder what Sora would be like tipsy… _Snickering, he poured three red Dixie cups full of the liquid, and then headed back into the living room, being careful not to spill them. Sora and Tidus were still where he'd left them.

"They didn't have any soda?" Sora asked, disappointed when he saw the cups.

"Nah, but I got some punch." Riku started to sit down, but then remembered Jake. "Sora, stay here okay? I'll be right back." He handed two of the cups to Sora and the last one to Tidus. "Here you go, Heidi. I even spit in it, just for you."

Tidus took a long swig. "Aww, an indirect kiss. How sweet of you."

"Where are you going?" Sora asked, holding the cups, but rising to his feet anyway._ I don't feel comfortable with all these people around. And it's so loud! I should've stayed home._

"To take a piss." Riku lied. "You want to watch?"

Tidus burst into laughter.

Sora blanched. "No! I… I… I just…" he stammered, cheeks reddening.

Riku smirked. "You could've told me you were into that sort of thing. I mean it's kind of kinky, but if you're really interested…" He raised an eyebrow. "I'll try just about anything once."

Sora plopped back down onto the sofa, still blushing. "No thanks. I'll wait." He could still hear Tidus laughing and he decided to simply stare at the floor.

"Good boy." Riku teased. He squeezed Sora's shoulder. "I'll see you in a few minutes, then."

"Right." Sora answered, without looking up. He didn't raise his gaze until he heard Riku telling the kids blocking the stairs to move their asses out of the way. "Geez." he muttered. "Riku is really something, isn't he?"

Tidus nodded. "Yep, he certainly is." He looked at Sora for a long moment. "Where do you see yourself with him, maybe like five years from now?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't really know… I mean, I've never thought about it before."

Tidus took a sip from the cup in his hands. "But I thought you guys were in love. You know, a be together forever sort of gig."

Sora stared down into his own cup. "Well… Riku loves me, I know that. But as for how I feel about him, I don't really know yet." He sighed. "Hopefully, in time…"

Tidus clapped Sora on the back so hard he nearly spilled the drinks. "Cheer up! I know you'll grow to love him. Everybody does, because Riku is so easy to love."

"I guess you're right." Sora answered. He took a sip of his drink and gagged. "Gah! What is this! This isn't punch!"

"Well, no shit!" Tidus laughed. "Who the hell has punch at a party once you're out of elementary school?" He tossed his own drink back, downing the rest of it in one gulp. "Hmm… It's vodka and kool-aid, by the taste of it. Anyway, I've spent enough time babysitting you. I think I'm going to go try and get some action. Later!" He bounded off the couch and slapped a girl's bottom in passing. If she minded, she kept it to herself.

Sora watched Tidus leave and hesitantly took another sip from his drink. _Oh man, if I keep trying to drink this, it'll make me puke._ He decided to set the cups down on the table, figuring Riku could always get another one. _Riku… _He glanced at his watch. _That must be an awfully long piss he's taking. _The thought brought the blush back to his cheeks, and he stood up, stretching. _He must be mingling, or whatever. I guess I'll wander around and try to have fun, but I feel so out of place._

Upstairs, Riku opened the door to the master bedroom, not surprised to see Jake sitting on the edge of the blue blanket-covered bed. Selphie's parents were apparently a lot less flashy than their offspring, because the room was surprisingly simple, containing only a large oak bed, dresser, and two nightstands. Riku closed the door behind himself and crossed his arms. "Alright, this had better be good, Addison."

Jake looked him over. "Where's your little friend?"

"My boyfriend is downstairs." Riku answered, already agitated. "Why?"

"Good." Jake breathed, either not hearing Riku's question or choosing to ignore it. "I wanted us to be alone."

"Addison, I think you've had a little too much of that liquid death in the punch bowl downstairs." Riku announced. "You have ten seconds to say whatever it is that you needed to tell me before I leave."

"Come here." Jake said softly. He patted the bed beside him.

Riku stared at him. "Okay… Look, if it's about my beating your ass earlier this week, there are no hard feelings. I just think that you and I should never talk again. That's the closest you'll get to an apology from me, deal with it." He reached for the doorknob.

"Wait," Jake called, rising. He walked over, stopping a few feet from Riku. "That's not what I wanted." He seemed more nervous than Riku had ever seen him.

__

I don't think anyone has ever seen Jake Addison like this before, except maybe his mother. "Well, what do you want?" Riku asked, exasperated.

"I want you." Jake said quietly.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Riku snapped. _I don't have the patience for this bullshit…_

"You know what I mean." Jake replied. "You haven't come to me since you hooked up with that punk."

Riku scowled. "Don't talk about Sora like that." He cocked his head to the side. "Besides, don't you have that delectable piece of cheerleader, Selphie? She's pretty good, I should know."

"It's not the same." Jake sighed. "You know it isn't." He looked imploringly at his ex-lover, who was so cold to him now. "So why not? I know your new pet isn't putting out. I can tell." He moved in closer, drawn to Riku's body heat. "So why don't you just give it to me?"

Riku seriously considered allowing Jake to have his way with him. Whatever shortcomings he might have personality-wise, Jake was excellent at giving head, and not a half-bad fuck. It had been awhile, and he was getting restless. _It's not like Sora is fucking me, after all. But… _He knew that if he gave in to Jake now, Sora would invariably find out. They were already on shaky ground, and Riku knew that screwing Jake now would probably rip them apart for good. _But what if he never finds out…_

Taking advantage of his silence, Jake slid to his knees in front of Riku and reached for his zipper. With shaking fingers he found what he wanted, and settled into his once familiar rhythm. _I have missed this taste for so long._

Riku watched Jake's actions with curious detachment, marveling at the irony of life. _Here I have the most popular kid in school practically crying tears of joy just to suck my dick, and my own boyfriend, my own fucking boyfriend, won't even let me suck his. _"I hate my life." he muttered, running his fingers through Jake's thick black hair.

Jake murmured an incoherent reply that sounded like gratitude. I_ will have him one last time, and then we will both sleep and everything will be okay._

Riku closed his eyes and tried to lose himself in the moment, but Sora's face kept appearing in his mind. _It isn't right to do this. I told him I've changed, that I would be good for him. And I'm not. I'm letting Jake have what he wants. If I'm patient with Sora, maybe one day he'll let me have what I want, but not if I do this now. _Reluctantly he opened his eyes and looked down at Jake, who was crying now, tears rolling silently down his face. _Tears of joy indeed, _Riku thought. "Alright, stop Addison, that's enough."

Jake backed off, rising to his feet. "What, you want to do it now? But you usually always want a blow job first-"

"No," Riku interrupted. "I mean, that's enough. I don't want to do this. I can't do this. I won't do this." He tucked himself back into his pants and zipped them back up. _And there's no sense in hoping Sora won't find out about this, because Jake is obsessed with me. I see that now._

"What's your problem!" Jake shouted, realization dawning in his eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"

__

He's crazy, Riku realized. _He's completely off his rocker. _"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he snapped. "I told you, no. That's all there is to it."

"It's because of that fucking punk boyfriend of yours!" Jake growled. He nodded vehemently when Riku shot him an irritated look. "Yeah, I'll bet. That's okay, because I've got something for him. He'll be sorry. So fucking sorry when I'm through…"

Riku's eyes narrowed, and in that moment, he was less sane than Jake, who sensed it, and backed up a step. "You don't want to talk like that, Addison. You're talking crazy, and I might have to do something to quiet you down. So, you just want to shut the fuck up and let it go."

Jake felt his resolve quail at the madness in Riku's eyes and backed up further. _But it was going to be so perfect. We were going to be together, and then we would sleep… and I could have him for always, because I love him_. "How could you fucking do this to me!" Jake cried, his world crumbling.

"I didn't twist your arm, Addison." Riku replied calmly. "Everything we ever did, you were a willing participant. Some things you even initiated yourself, like now."

"I wouldn't be so fucked up right now if it weren't for you!" Jake accused. "You did this to me! It's your fault. I was fine until you ruined my life!"

"Go ahead and blame me for your misery, Addison." Riku conceded. "But don't blame me for your sexual preference. Sure you were fine until I came alone. Fine playing the role of masculine football hero, all the while staring at your teammates' asses in the shower." He raised an eyebrow. "Which one of them first caught your eye? Was it Seymour? Maybe Barrett? Or I'll bet, it was probably Tidus." He noticed Jake stiffen and laughed derisively. "I thought so. He is damned pretty, isn't he? I wonder what he'd think of this little talk we're having?" He turned to the door. "I think I'll go find out."

"You take another step toward that door, and I'll blow your fucking head off." Jake snarled, raising the handgun that he'd previously kept concealed under his team sweatshirt.

Riku turned around slowly, one eyebrow raised again. _Well shit… _"This doesn't really change things, Addison."

"Oh, I think it does." Jake shot back, returning his glare.

The two males remained in a contest of wills, neither daring to back down, somehow sensing that things had gone too far to repair, and tragedy was inevitable. A knock on the door disturbed the gridlock. Both males turned to look, one with horror and one with triumph.

Sora turned the knob and stepped into the room, oblivious to the drama within. "Riku, I-" his words died off as he saw the faces of the room's two occupants.

"Oh fuck…" Riku groaned. _Now, this changes things. _"Sora, why the hell couldn't you just stay put like I told you to?"

"I got worried when you didn't come back." Sora explained, still oblivious to the severity of the situation. "But I'll just go back down, then."

"No, you won't." Jake said. _This couldn't have worked out more perfect. _"You're going to quietly close that door and come over to me, unless you want me to paint the room with your brains."

Sora's eyes widened as he finally noticed the gun in Jake's hands. _What the hell is this! _He shot a panicked glance at Riku who was staring at Jake coldly, and then closed the door. Unsure of what to do next, he simply remained where he was.

"Get your ass over here!" Jake roared.

Stunned, Sora took a hesitant step forward, only to be shoved back against the door by Riku. "Riku, what the-"

"Jake," Riku began, ignoring Sora completely. "Don't make me hurt you."

Jake laughed incredulously. "You hurt me? Um hello, I'm the one with the gun, dumbass. How the hell are you going to hurt me?"

Sora remained silent, somehow knowing that his survival depended on it.

Riku laughed, forcing a calm that he didn't feel. "Please. You probably have never fired that thing in your life. And if by some miracle of physics, you manage to even graze one of us, the other one will escape." He smirked. "With that flaw in your plan pointed out, let's go over your options, Jake. Option one, you shoot me. Now, if you kill me, you'll be pathetic. Even more so than you already are." He laughed again. "Can't you see the headlines now? Gay Football Star Kills His Former Lover in a Fit of Jealous Rage."

"You little fuck!" screamed Jake, knowing that he had been outwitted.

Sora flinched, but said nothing. _What is Riku trying to do?_

"Option two," Riku continued, ignoring the outburst. "You shoot Sora, in which case I will immediately kill you in the most painful way I can manage, or at the very least gouge out your eyes and feed them to you. Big coward that you are, I know you don't want to feel any pain, so that would be a bad choice for you."

A defeated, helpless look came over Jake's face, as he realized what Riku was getting at. "You shut your fucking mouth right now." he said, but there was no force behind the words.

"That's right, Addison. You're in a damned if you, damned if you don't, type situation. At this point, you can't even walk out that door without ruining your entire reputation." Riku spoke softly, his eyes utterly devoid of emotion. "What will your friends think? What will your church think? Or better yet, what will your family think? Ooh, that'll really burn, I bet."

"Jake, don't listen to him." Sora interrupted finally, his eyes pleading. _What is Riku saying! _"You don't have to kill anybody…"

"Shut up, Sora." Riku ordered, not breaking eye-contact with Jake. _If I lose control of the situation now, we could all end up dead. I don't care what happens to me, but Sora is going to leave this room alive tonight, no matter who gets sacrificed._

"Both of you shut up!" Jake sobbed. "I can still kill you both right now! Don't you forget that for a second. Don't you fucking forget it!" Tears were streaming down his face now, and he swiped awkwardly at them with the back of one hand, while trying to steady the gun in his other.

Riku glanced at Sora as if to say, _I told you he was nuts, _and then turned his full attention back to Jake. "But I don't think you will, Addison. You're too much of a punk bitch to shoot either one of us and walk out that door, knowing what people will say about you. You've always been someone's darling, someone's hero." He teased, in a mocking voice. "As of now, your life is over. You have nothing left to gain, and everything to lose. So, if you want to use that gun of yours on anybody, I suggest you use it on yourself." Riku finished, evenly.

__

He's crazy, Sora thought. _He has to be crazy to talk to Jake that way when he could kill us both._ "Jake, please! Listen to-"

"Stay out of it!" Riku snapped at him. He fixed his eyes on Jake, his gaze challenging. "Do it."

Jake simply lowered his eyes and trembled, a low pitched wail coming out of him as he sobbed at this horrible sorrow fate had decided to bestow upon him.

"Jake…" Sora began, stepping forward.

Riku shoved him back instantly, turning his rage on him. "I thought I told you to stay out of it! Mind your fucking business!"

"This is my fucking business!" Sora yelled back at him, stunning them both. "Jake, listen to me-"

"Addison," Riku interrupted loudly. "Will you stop acting like a little bitch and just kill **someone** already? I'm missing the party, for fuck's sake."

Jake jolted at the words, his tearful eyes returning to Riku's unforgiving ones. _How could anyone be so cruel. Riku… he deserves to die for putting me through this. No one could blame me. _"You fucking made me do this…" Jake whispered, the gun shaking in his hand. "Remember that." He turned eyes filled with an unspeakable dread upon Sora. "He made me. I'm so sorry, Sora."

__

Oh my God, he's going to shoot him! Sora thought. "Don't!" he screamed.

The sound of the gunshot was deafening.

· ·§· ·

"Holy shit." Riku breathed. _He fucking did it. He went and fucking shot himself! Jake, you fucking psycho, what have you done! _"Holy shit." he said again, louder this time. Horrified, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him.

What remained of Jake Addison lay sprawled against one blood covered wall. There were light colored things stuck in the wall and Riku realized with nausea that he was looking at bone fragments. _Who knows? There might even be some brains in there._

Unwillingly, Riku sank to his knees and closed his eyes, fighting the need to vomit. _I didn't really want it to end like this, but I didn't want to die! I didn't want Sora to die either! Does that make me a bad person? Choosing our lives over his? Maybe I could've talked him out of it if I'd tried… Instead of being so goddamn… myself._ He moaned, feeling the lowest he'd ever felt in his life.

All at once Sora began to shudder, his breath coming in great sobbing gasps. He quickly turned away before the image of Jake's body slumped against the wall could emblazon itself into the back of his mind forever. _There's so much blood… it even got on Riku… there might be some on me…_

Without realizing it, Riku invoked his father's presence in himself, needing to return to a state of functionality. _Okay, this is not the right time to throw a pity party. I've got to pull it together, what's done is done. For better or for worse, Jake's made his last touchdown, so just pull it together, Riku! _Through sheer force of will, he conquered his bile and rose slowly to his feet, holding the wall for balance. His hand slipped a bit, and looking at it he realized it was bloody. His clothes were covered with blood, in fact. _I must've got sprayed pretty good._ The thought sickened him again, and he fought it off viciously. _I've got to get my shit together. Sora and I will have to explain everything to the cops. Sora… _He looked over at his friend.

Sora was trembling and steadfastly ignoring the gory sight that lay behind him. "I can't…" he began to babble. "I can't believe this…" He let out an anguished, strangled cry and fisted his hands into his eyes, swiping at the tears that threatened to come.

__

Oh man, don't crack up on me now, Sora. I need you. Now more than ever. "Sora," Riku started, reaching out a hand. "Listen to me…"

"Don't you touch me!" Sora screamed at him, his voice filled with pain and rage. "Don't you dare fucking touch me! You did this! You made this happen!"

Riku flinched, and drew back, hurt. "I didn't really think he was going to do it!"

"Yes, you did." Sora cried. "You knew damn well he was going to do it! You wanted him to do it!"

"You're fucking right, I wanted him to do it!" Riku yelled. "He was going to shoot us, otherwise!" His voice lowered, and he looked at Sora almost tearfully. "He might've killed you."

Sora put his face in his hands and let out a shaky sigh. "Fuck… I can't believe this is happening…" _I need to get out! _Battling the urge to wretch, he made his way to the door and opened it. It took a tremendous effort to keep from looking back at Jake's body and screaming at the top of his lungs, but somehow he managed. Once he stepped through the doorway it became easier to breathe. Slowly he walked down the hall, noticing with apprehension how quiet the rest of the house had gotten. Faces peered at him hesitantly from open rooms, but no one said anything and he didn't stop. Finally he reached the stairs at the end of the hallway, feeling strangely disconnected as if it had all happened to someone else.

A crowd of people had gathered around the base of the stairs, murmuring amongst themselves. The conversation died completely when Sora appeared at the top of the landing, looking incredibly pale. Slowly he descended, deliberately looking anywhere but at the waiting crowd. He reached the floor and the crowd parted, expectantly. Sora paused for a moment, unsure of what he should do next.

"Sora, are you alright?" asked Wakka, a concerned and fearful expression on his face. Yuffie and Tidus stood beside him, looking ready to bolt any moment.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but someone let out a scream, and his mouth shut with a snap. _Oh shit, it's starting…_

Riku had appeared at the top of the stairs, his clothes streaked with blood. As he descended, some of the crowd retreated, backing up several feet, with many of them fleeing the house altogether. "We have a problem." he said simply. "Somebody ought to get a phone."

"Out of my way!" The remaining crowd parted and Selphie shoved her way through. She saw the blood and gasped. "Oh my God! What happened? Where's Jake?" Her searching brown eyes fell on Riku who completely ignored her. She turned to Sora. "Where is he?" she pleaded, already knowing the answer to her question. She had heard the shot, they had all heard the shot, but nobody ever thought it was anything but a prank. Until that is, Riku and Sora had come downstairs looking so upset. Now she tugged imploringly on Sora's sleeve. S_ora is nice, he's not like Riku. He'll tell me where Jake is._ "Please Sora, where is my boyfriend?" she pleaded, her voice rising on the last word as she began to cry.

"Selphie," Sora whispered, taking her hand. "Jake... Wasn't too stable…" He couldn't seem to find the right words.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Riku muttered, hating this world and everyone in it, including himself. _Especially myself._

Selphie let go of Sora and glared at Riku, but said nothing as she ran up the stairs, calling for Jake.

__

I can't take this! Sora shook his head, and refused to look at Riku. He ignored the prying eyes of the other kids, even the concerned eyes of Tidus and Wakka. He wanted to tell them all something reassuring, tell them that Jake Addison, the most popular guy in school, did not just blow his brains out upstairs because of a petty lover's quarrel with Riku. He wanted to tell them that everything would be alright, but the words just wouldn't come. He took a deep breath. _Calm yourself._

"Sora?" questioned Tidus, his expression completely serious for once. Somehow that made it all worse. Even Tidus was behaving himself, for crying out loud.

Sora dropped his eyes in defeat. _Fuck it. _"I'm getting out of here." he announced, shoving past Riku.

Riku whirled on him, angry. "What? You can't just leave! What about the police?"

"Fuck the police!" Sora yelled.

With great force, Tidus squelched the desire to giggle at such terrible words coming from Sora, and instead schooled his face into an appropriately somber expression, even though he didn't have a clue what was going on. _It must be pretty bad to need the police, though._

As if in answer to his thoughts, a shriek rang out from upstairs, followed by a heart-wrenching wail.

Sora bolted, unable to stand it any longer.

Riku started after him, but Wakka grabbed his arm. "Let go of me!"

"What the fuck did you do, man?" Wakka questioned, deathly serious now.

Riku sighed, and rubbed his eyes. The sobs of Jake's girlfriend were filtering down the stairs, and several of the kids seemed undecided as to whether to leave like Sora or to go see for themselves. _What a night. _"Somebody better call the police," he began cautiously.

Outside, the night air was balmy and thick. Under the light of the full moon, all nocturnal creatures felt justified to cry out their thoughts. Among them Sora ran, his shoes grazing over the pavement, his heart pounding in his chest. Tears were streaming wildly down his cheeks, but he paid them no mind. He pushed himself, feeling childishly that maybe if he ran fast enough, he could outrun time, and leave this whole night behind him. Maybe when he ran around the next corner, things would've changed, Jake would still be alive, and Riku wouldn't be so... Sora squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and opened them. _Riku has changed. _As soon as he'd started being with him, it seemed as though whatever charm inside Riku that had made him so personable had broken. _He still has a good heart, _Sora knew. He hadn't talked to Jake with any real malice, he had acted out of desire to protect him, but... _At the cost of Jake's life? _Even so, Riku had shown some pain when Jake's lifeless body had slumped to the floor. No, Riku hadn't become evil. He had become reckless. _And why not? He's got what he wants now. Me. _Sora shook his head, feeling as though he had somehow brought all of this on. _It's my fault..._

Selphie's scream continued to echo in the back of his mind, reverberating all around him. The desperate, utterly hopeless look in Jake's eyes as he had turned the gun upon himself and pulled the trigger. He had been so sure that he was going to shoot Riku. _Maybe it would've been better that way. _His heart felt a squeeze at the words. _Traitor. _He knew it wasn't true. Riku would always be his best friend no matter what, but… _I can't see him right now, I just can't. Something inside him is broken and he needs to fix it. He'll need my help, but just not right now._ He ran faster, his legs pumping until he got dizzy and he was no longer sure of where he was running to, or what he was running from.

Disorientated, he paused to catch his breath, leaning on a stop sign for balance. Looking around, he realized that he had left the suburbs completely and found his way into the city. The night was alive all around him, people and cars all doing their part to increase noise pollution. It made the world seem so alien, how he could run a few blocks from the horrible party and see all these people out enjoying themselves. Many of them were teenagers like him, smiling and happy. _And why not? When you're young, you have your whole life ahead of you. Unless your name is Jake Addison. _He laughed, knowing it was wrong, but needing it anyway just to keep from screaming at the horrible irony. He closed his eyes and counted slowly backwards from one hundred, aware that he probably looked like a junkie having a bad trip, but not giving a damn.

When he reached one, he opened his eyes, feeling better. He would be fine, he just needed to get away from all the noise, to go somewhere quiet. He considered going back to the party and threw the idea out immediately. He wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. Besides, Riku's dad would get him out of any trouble. He doubted if Riku would even spend a night in jail. He thought about going home and then discarded that as well. He knew his mom would be worried if he didn't come home, but at the same time he was in no condition to answer her questions. She would know something was wrong as soon as she saw his face. She was his mother, after all.

Then I don't have anywhere to go, he thought with a frown. _That's not true, _his mind responded. _You know where you can go. _Sora shook his head. "I can't go there." he muttered. "He doesn't want to see me." _How do you know? He told you that if you ever needed anything, you could go to him._ "But he didn't mean anything like this." he murmured, brushing his hair back from his face. _What choice do you have really? _"None." he sighed. "I can either stand here and talk to myself all night…" Sora flinched as he realized that he was doing just that. Passersby were shooting weird looks in his direction and he felt his face redden with embarrassment.

Well, since I have no choice… Then again, I'm practically there already. Squall's apartment was only a few more blocks into the city. It seemed like he had almost been unconsciously running to him in the first place. Sora swallowed hard and started off walking again, resisting the urge to sprint when he heard police sirens in the distance. _Life is so damn messed up._

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Notes: I wanted to end this chapter on a cliffhanger, so no one would know who had been shot until the next update, but I didn't have a really good reason to do it. Making people squirm isn't a good enough reason. It was a somewhat sad chapter to write, because I was agonizing over whether to kill Jake off or not. I got used to him, but it was essential to the overall plot that he dies. It's like Stephen King said in On Writing, sometimes for the sake of the book, you just have to kill your darlings.

Riku: So… I guess that would mean I'm fair game! But, I'm the star!

Squall: Sora is the star, fool.


	16. Stolen Comforts

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I don't even own a working computer, dammit.

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Author's Note: The long-awaited chapter 16. This chapter does contain a lemon, by the way. I was forced to edit it out, for the sake of the terms of service here at fanfiction, but if you go to my author profile page, you will find a link to my adultfanfiction page, where the story is also located. Or you can go to the link to the chapter alone, which I also have up. I'd suggest that you just read the entire chapter there, instead of reading until the end of this page, and then going. That way, you won't disrupt the flow of the story. I hope that everyone enjoys this update, and continues to read the story! Thanks!

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Warning: Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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Squall jerked awake, his heart racing. _What the fuck was that noise? _Hesitantly, he sat up and reached for the lamp. Light flooded the room, hurting his eyes, and he blinked. He looked around for a few moments, confused. _I could've sworn I heard something. Whatever it was, it woke me up. But there's nothing now… _He was getting ready to lie back down, when he heard a loud pounding on his door. He glanced at his alarm clock. _What could anyone want with me at one-thirty in the morning?_ Irritated, he flipped back the covers and put his legs over the edge of the bed. "Strife, for fuck's sake..." he groaned._ The dumbass could at least remember to use his key if he's going to freeload all hours of the night. _Grumbling, Squall stood up and stretched. He walked out of his bedroom, and made his way down the hall, wondering if Cloud would press charges on him for the beating he was about to receive. _I could always tell the cops he's a burglar, and act like I don't know him._ Sighing with disgust, Squall flipped on the light switch, wanting to get a real good look at just how drunk his former roommate was before he beat him without mercy. "Alright Strife, what the fuck is your problem-" he started, opening the door. The rest of his words died in his throat as he saw who was standing there.

Sora looked up at him, an expression of utter desolation in his eyes.

Squall took everything in with a sense of dawning fear. Sora's face was streaked with tears and dirt, his normally unruly hair disheveled beyond comprehension. Squall's eyes widened as he took note of the stains scatted abstractly on his clothes. _Oh my God, is that blood!_ A jealous and protective rage rose up within Squall, quickly smothering the fear. _Where could he have been, at this hour_? In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered excited whisperings of a homecoming party that was supposed to happen tonight. The entire student body had been obsessed with it, much to the irritation of the staff. _But that was way out in the ritzy part of town… Why would Sora have come all the way here? Could someone at the party have gotten drunk and attacked Sora!_ The very thought made Squall ill. _I need answers… _He cleared his throat, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "Sora… What the hell happened?" When Sora did not respond, he took him roughly by the shoulders and began to shake him, the panic taking over. "What happened to you? Who did this!" He was aware that he was starting to yell, and that it would draw attention, but he was helpless to stop, so great was his anger that anyone would ever hurt Sora in any way. _This world does not deserve someone like him._

Sora blinked, seeming to come out of his trance. Haltingly, he raised a hand and placed it on Squall's arm. "I'm... okay." _Okay, ha... _"Nobody did anything to me. Really."

Squall peered at him, scrutinizing. _That's impossible… _"But you're a mess! And there's blood-"

"Squall, can I come in?" Sora interrupted. "Please? Can I just come in first?" Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. "I'll tell you everything, I promise, but first, I just need to have a moment."

Quickly Squall nodded, and stepped aside, letting Sora enter his apartment. The sigh of relief that Sora let out filled Squall with dread. _It has to be serious, whatever it is. He came all the way out here to see me… Especially after what happened the last time he was here… Get off it, Leonhart, he's probably forgotten all about that, even if you haven't. Besides he needs help right now. _His mind made up, he closed and locked his door. Upon turning around, he was stunned to feel a weight suddenly pressing him back against the door. Confused, he looked down to see Sora hugging him tightly. "Sora?" he began, even more worried. _Maybe I should call the police._

Sora clutched him tighter and sobbed into Squall's chest, his words muffled. "I'm sorry… It's just… a very bad night… and I… need…"

"Shh…" Squall whispered, and wrapped his arms around him. "It's okay. Just cry it out. Whatever it is, cry it out. You'll feel better once you do." Absently, he remembered people saying that to him after Rinoa's death. Crying hadn't made him feel better at all. It had made him feel empty, because once he'd cried it all out, he had nothing at all. The absence of pain was somehow worse than the pain itself. _That was different, I doubt if Sora's problem is the same as mine. Unless, maybe something happened to Riku? _Squall involuntarily stiffened at the idea. He had no love for the kid, that was true, but he didn't want him dead. Still, a sliver of jealousy pricked him uncomfortably at the thought of Riku. _Get off it, Leonhart, _he told himself again and meant it. Gently, he stroked Sora's back for several minutes, listening as his sobs gradually quieted. "It'll be alright, everything will be alright." Another falsehood from his past. Everything was not alright, it would never be alright. _Okay, let's stop being so goddamn nihilistic for just one night!_

Sora nuzzled into Squall's chest, feeling comforted with his warmth, as his tears slowed. _I don't know what I'd do without Squall. _Just being near him was already making him feel better. _I'm glad I came here. _He turned his head to the side and sighed deeply, his tears somewhat under control. Shyly, he lifted his head and offered a tiny smile. "I'm sorry I soaked your shirt." he joked weakly.

Squall felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. _I don't know what I would've done if he'd gone into hysterics. _He smiled back. "Don't worry about it. I was getting ready to go to a wet t-shirt contest right after this, anyway." The comment earned him a laugh, and Squall smiled again. _He can still laugh, maybe he's not too bad off then. _Relieved, he hugged Sora tightly. "Feel a little better now?"

Sora nodded, and hugged him back. "Yeah. I'm pretty thirsty, though." He was beginning to feel how all the yelling he'd done at Riku had irritated his throat. _Riku… _He felt a momentary pang of guilt at leaving Riku back at the party, but ignored it. _I couldn't stay there…_ "Can I have something to drink?"

"Well yeah, but I'm going to have to see some ID first." Squall teased. _I still can't believe I'm falling in love with someone too young to drink alcohol…_

Sora poked his chest playfully. "Not like that, dummy. I meant some soda, or something."

Squall poked him back. "Yes, I do have soda. But I've got something better. It'll settle your nerves, whereas soda would just have you bouncing off the walls and probably jumping on the furniture."

"Oh Please." Sora rolled his eyes. "I'm not a little kid." he protested, his hands slipping down to rest around Squall's waist.

__

Whoa! Okay, I know that, and you know that, but still… Squall waved his hand, attempting to ignore the thrill he felt at Sora's touch, innocent as it was. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll tell you what, why don't you go take a shower, and I'll scratch up something to eat and drink."

"Shower?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side. _I don't really want to move from this spot_. He had never felt so safe in his entire life as he did now, with Squall close to him. Being here made everything that had happened tonight seem like nothing more than a distant memory.

Squall tried not to think about how adorable he looked when he did that, and instead focused on the task at hand. _Forgive him, for he knows not what he does. _"Yes Sora, a shower. That's when you get in a bathtub, and water pours down on you, and you scrub yourself clean with soap." _Amongst other things..._

"I know what a shower is. You're not funny." Sora shot back, trying not to laugh. "But why do I have to take one now?"

"I know you didn't think I was going to let you sit your grimy ass on my leather couch, did you?" Squall asked with disbelief. "You must be on crack."

Sora glared at him, still not letting go of his waist. _This man is terrible. _"What a messed up thing to say. You're very rude, Leonhart."

"I'm as rude as Jude." Squall agreed amicably, struggling vainly to keep his thoughts pure. _I swear, if he doesn't let go of me…_

"What?" Sora asked, inclining his head again.

"Forget it. It's from before your time." _Like I am. _Squall gently disengaged Sora's arms from around his waist and gave him a light push in the direction of the bathroom. "Move it. You're just trying to distract me so you can ruin my expensive sofa. I'm on to you, buddy." A flicker of hurt passed over Sora's face, so fast Squall could've sworn it was never there.

Sora recovered from his pain at being pushed away, stuck out his tongue and turned towards the bathroom. "Yeah, you completely figured me out."

__

I could never figure you out, Sora. I can't even figure myself out. Squall sighed and went into the kitchen. Rummaging through the cabinets for a can of stew, he considered his initial thought that he was falling in love with Sora. _How the hell did it happen?_

In the beginning, he'd just thought Sora was a bright and considerate student, a rarity among modern youths. But somewhere along the line, the platonic admiration he had for Sora transformed into simple physical attraction, and from there into something far more dangerous. When he'd opened the door and seen Sora standing there looking like the victim of some unknown violent crime, he'd felt as though he was losing his mind. Sora was the only one who could make him laugh the way he used to, he was the only one whose company he truly enjoyed, he was the only one Squall looked forward to seeing every day. The thought that Sora would be broken by the world was unbearable. He realized that he would do anything to protect Sora, and it filled him with pain to think that he was with Riku. "And not with me…" Squall murmured to himself.

In the bathroom, Sora undressed quickly, not wanting to be separated from Squall for too long. Looking through the cabinets he found several unopened bars of soap, razors, toothpaste, and various bottles of sleeping pills. Concerned, he lifted one and read the label. _Why does he need sleeping pills? Does he still have the nightmares? _He considered asking Squall about them, but decided not to. _I guess it's not really my business. _Looking at the wall shelf, he found a few folded towels and browsed through them. _I wonder which towel Squall uses? Gah, he probably uses all of them, he's the only one here! _"Sora, you idiot." he muttered. _So that means, I'm going to be using the same towel that Squall uses! _His face heated, and he shook his head, feeling very silly. _Don't be stupid! They're clean, it's not like he puts them back on the shelf right after he uses them… _An explicit image of Squall drying himself leisurely with one of the fluffy black towels popped into his head, uncensored, unexpected, and completely uncalled for. _Ack! _Blushing furiously, Sora snatched a bar of soap from it's wrapper and climbed into the tub.

Squall stirred the can of soup, wondering what could've happened to make Sora run to him, instead of going home. _Somebody must've done something to him… or maybe he saw something he wasn't supposed to see? _Squall was well aware of Riku's incredible promiscuity, and had told himself on several occasions that it was the real reason he disapproved of his relationship with Sora. Yet, even if Sora had just been treated to a peek show of his boyfriend being unfaithful, that still didn't account for his disheveled appearance, not to mention, the blood… _Maybe one of Riku's jealous lovers attacked him_? Still kind of far-fetched, considering that Sora didn't appear to have any bruises or cuts on him. _Then whose blood is it?_

Squall heard a crackling sound and realized belatedly that he was well on his way to boiling half of the soup right out of the pot. "Oh shit!" The stovetop hissed indignantly and sent forth a foul smell to punish him soundly for his transgression, the soup frothing madly over the sides. Turning on the stove vent, Squall quickly removed the pot from the fire, figuring that if it was hot enough to boil over, it was probably done. With an air of shame, he slowly spooned the hot stew into two bowls to cool. _How embarrassing._

Sora lathered his hair and rinsed off, savoring his shower. The hot water felt wonderful on his skin, and he was again glad that he had decided to come here. He was indeed hungry now, and he knew that once he had eaten, he'd be able to tell Squall what'd happened. Maybe by tomorrow he'd even feel up to talking to his mom, or even Riku. _Tomorrow… _Sora was suddenly aware that he had no intentions of going home tonight. _Mom and Kairi are probably asleep by now… Unless the police stopped by my house_, he realized with a sinking feeling. _In that case, I definitely don't want to go home, although I probably should. Squall will never let me stay anyway. I mean, where would I even sleep_? Another uncalled for image, that of himself in Squall's bed, with Squall, barged into his helpless mind.

Sora's face grew unbearably hot and he cut off the water, completely mortified. _Geez, I'm turning into a real pervert here. _Shaking his head, he pulled back the curtains and stepped out, reaching for his towel. As he dried himself, his eyes fell on his crumpled pile of clothes and he frowned. There was no point in taking a shower if you were going to put your dirty clothes right back on. _But I don't have anything else to wear…_ He gulped as he realized he was going to have to ask Squall for clothes. _How embarrassing._

In the kitchen, Squall stirred the chai tea, adding milk and sugar. He considered adding some liquor, but thought better of it. He had no desire to have a drunken Sora on his hands. _Why not? That could be fun. _"Quiet, you." he muttered.

"Um, Squall?" spoke Sora.

Squall turned around, completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Sora stood a few feet away from him, completely naked except for the black towel tied around his hips. Smooth golden skin greeted him everywhere he looked. _Goddamn…_ Squall took in an eyeful before he realized that he was staring and looked violently away. Intently, he studied the cups of tea, but the damage was already done. His mind was racing, indecent thoughts frolicking in every corner of his brain. "Can I help you with something?" he ground out, trying not to look at him again.

Sora shifted and laughed embarrassedly. "Yeah. I don't have any clothes."

__

I'll say! "I can see that." Squall remarked carefully. "I guess it must've slipped my mind to give you some." _Yeah, I'll give him some, alright. _"I'll just go and grab something out of my room." Averting his eyes, he eased out of the kitchen and went gingerly around Sora without looking at him. Much to his horror, he heard soft footsteps and realized Sora was following him. "What are you doing?"

"Going with you. I've never seen your bedroom before." Sora answered. The initial shyness he'd felt at approaching Squall in his current state of undress had been replaced by a sort of teasing exhilaration. During the few moments when Squall had looked at him, he'd felt a change coming over his body as his skin seemed to heat up. _I want him to look at me like that again, _he thought. Sora knew he was blushing, and he was thankful that Squall hadn't turned around or he might lose his nerve.

Fearing for his sanity, Squall entered his bedroom and headed immediately to his dresser. _If I don't look at him, I'll be alright._ He fished through a drawer and came up with an oversized t-shirt. _Better get one for myself while I'm at it. _Setting the shirts down, he opened another drawer and took out a pair of boxers he never wore. _I feel so morbid, giving him these, but hell, I can't have him running around bare-assed._ The thought sent warmth throughout his lower body and he sighed in exasperation. "Well, here's a shirt and some… shorts. They'll do, I suppose." Still refusing to look at Sora, he stood and brushed past him, depositing the clothes in his hands as he went.

Disappointed at this turn of events, Sora stalled. "What's that other shirt for?" _It's almost like he's deliberately avoiding me._

"It's for me." Squall answered, without turning around. "You soaked the one I'm wearing, remember?" His heart was beating faster than he thought was physically healthy. The lingering scent of soap was captivating his senses, and his hands itched to find out if that skin was as soft as it had looked. _Just look at him at least, you might not ever get a chance like this again!_

Feeling every bit the masochist, Squall turned and stared at Sora for a long moment. His eyes roamed over every inch of him, memorizing each detail, cataloguing them for future reference. His vision was flooded with the sight of pink nipples sitting boldly against the beginnings of what would probably someday be well defined chest muscles. Pulse racing, he even dared to let his eyes drop, noting the way the towel clung to Sora's perfect hip bones and the slight curves of the muscles on his lower stomach that were visible above the towel. _Heaven help me if that towel falls down. _With Herculean effort, he wrenched his eyes away, and took forced steps down the hallway.

Sora watched him, his stomach tingling. It had all happened in the space of a few seconds, but it felt much longer. The heat in Squall's eyes had sent tremors all through his body and he suddenly wanted to be touched more than anything. He had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out in protest when Squall had walked away, not wanting to get kicked out. _Well, I got him to look at me, anyway_. After closing the door, he began to get dressed. The simple white boxers were crisp, and he decided that Squall must not wear them much. The shirt on the other hand, was extremely comfortable, the soft gray fabric rubbing invitingly against his skin. _He must wear this a lot. _The thought of wearing something Squall had worn made him blush again. _Geez, I feel like such a girl. This crush is getting way out of hand. _Mentally composing himself, he opened the door and walked quietly down the hallway. When he reached the living room, his jaw dropped.

Squall was in the midst of changing shirts, his back to him. Helplessly Sora watched as Squall picked up the fresh shirt and fitted it over his head, back muscles flexing as he twisted, fitting his arms through the sleeves. Arching slightly, Squall pulled it down over his torso, and smoothed out the fabric with his hands. _This is no ordinary crush. I've never been so awestruck in my life. _An overwhelming desire to see what Squall looked like with the rest of his clothes off came over him, and Sora let out a small yelp before he could stop it.

Immediately, Squall turned, looking over his shoulder in a way that made Sora want to melt into a puddle. "You dress quickly."

"Yeah." was all Sora could manage. Trying not to look as though he was drooling, his gaze fell on the bowls and cups sitting on the coffee table, and he remembered again why he was there in the first place. _It all seems like it happened so long ago. I'm not even that upset about it anymore. _He knew the content feeling would probably end as soon as he left Squall's apartment, and more than ever, he didn't want to go. "That's the food, right?"

"No, I just leave full dishes on my table for decoration." Squall answered with complete seriousness, knowing the comment would earn him a dirty look from Sora. It did.

"Yeah, yeah. Ask a stupid question, I know." Sora muttered, walking around to the front of the couch. He sat down, his body practically sighing with relief. The cushions seemed to mold around him, and he felt completely at ease, as he picked up a bowl and peered into it. "Is this soup?"

"More or less." Squall answered, taking a seat beside him. He ignored his own bowl, deciding to let Sora find out if the soup tasted charred or not. He picked up his cup instead and took a sip of his tea. Casually, he watched Sora, glancing over the rim of his cup.

Sora dipped his spoon into the soup, and raised it to his lips, taking a tentative lick.

At the sight of the pink tongue gingerly lapping at the spoon, Squall felt a shudder go through him, and he swallowed his tea wrong. He turned to the side and coughed, his throat itching madly. _Serves me right for being a pervert._

Sora looked up in alarm, the spoon still in his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. My drink went down the wrong pipe, that's all." Composing himself, he leaned back into the sofa and took another sip. He didn't look at Sora again.

"What are you drinking, anyway?" Sora asked, taking another spoonful of soup. _It's good, but then everything tastes better when you're hungry… or when it's made by someone that you really like_. Shyly, he watched Squall drink, wondering just when his crush had become so serious.

"The same thing that's in your cup." Squall answered. _Although I'd rather have something stronger. _"Why don't you try it? And how's the soup?"

Sora continued to eat, his stomach settling with appreciation. "It's pretty good." He peered at the contents of his cup and frowned. "What is that? It looks like coffee."

"It's not coffee. It's chai tea." explained Squall patiently. He picked up his own bowl and began to eat his soup. _Ick… I wouldn't call this stuff good, but then, I'm not starving like Sora probably is._

Not feeling entirely convinced, Sora put the soup to the side and took a drink of his tea. _What a strange taste… but then it's not really bad. Just weird._ He instantly loved it. "What'd you say this stuff was called again?"

"Chai tea." Squall repeated, forcing his soup down. "It's good, and it'll calm your nerves."

"I feel pretty calm, already." Sora admitted quietly. He held the cup in both hands and looked down into it as he spoke. "It's almost like it all happened to somebody else."

Squall felt a momentary pang of unease. _Please don't let him break down now. _Without thinking, he placed an arm around Sora's shoulders, and gave him a friendly squeeze. "Are you sure you're feeling up to talking about it?"

Sora looked up at him gratefully for a moment, before nodding and returning his gaze to the contents of his cup. "Yeah. It's all going to come out anyway, and I'd rather tell you first. Maybe then I'll be better prepared to tell mom about it."

Squall ignored the way his heartbeat seemed to have sped up, and forced himself to stay calm, despite the sense of foreboding Sora's words were giving him. _What is it, that he has to tell his mother? _"Sora, I just have to know one thing first."

Sora looked up again, his blue eyes unreadable. "What?"

"Did anyone, you know, do anything… to you?" Squall asked, his words clipped. _I'm afraid I might kill them if they did._

Sora looked at him in confusion before shaking his head. "No, I told you, I'm fine. But…" He stared down into the cup again. It's warmth was almost as comforting to him as the warmth of Squall's arm around him, and he felt that he could tell it now. Taking a deep breath, he began.

Sora told Squall everything, starting with how Riku had been acting weird, and missing classes. He explained how Jake had factored into it, monopolizing Riku's life completely. It became harder for him to speak as he reached the part about the homecoming party. Still, he gathered his nerve and forced himself to continue, telling Squall about Jake's behavior at the party, and why they were all upstairs. He described the way Jake had gotten enraged and pulled the gun on them, before shooting himself. Finally, he told how he'd fled the party, and ran downtown, his voice barely above a whisper. "And then, I came to you, because I didn't know where else to go."

Squall remained silent, trying to wrap his mind around the ordeal that Sora had just gone through. _Oh my God..._

Miraculously, Sora managed to keep back the tears that threatened, but he had yet to look up. He was terrified of the expression that Squall might have on his face. He knew he was lucky to not be irreversibly traumatized, but he felt that all of that would change if Squall looked at him a certain way. He could bear it, Jake's suicide, the sudden change in Riku, and even his own role in the tragedy, as long as Squall didn't think any less of him. _If he does, I can't take it. I'll just break down._ Fearfully, he waited, until he felt a hand cup his chin and tilt his head gently upwards.

Squall looked down at Sora with an undecipherable expression on his face. Without speaking, he drew Sora to him, and enfolded him in a comforting hug. His mind was filled to the brim with thoughts, but on top of it all was the simple relief that Sora himself was okay. He knew it was selfish, but at this point, he didn't care. _As much as I've lost, I think I have the right to be a little selfish sometimes._ Still, he was pained that Sora had experienced something this traumatic so early in life. All things considered, he was holding up pretty well, and almost certainly wouldn't need any extensive therapy like the other kids might. _But will he have nightmares? Will all of them? _Squall didn't want to think of how the incident would impact the entire school, with Jake Addison being so well-known. _He was probably the most popular student in the school… other than Riku_… Squall's deep dislike of Riku increased tenfold. He knew he couldn't blame him entirely for what had happened to Jake. The overly critical, self-destructive nature was probably in Jake since early on. It was a fact of life that the higher you climbed, the more likely you were to fall. _Still, Riku certainly gave him a nice shove. _Squall sighed and rested his chin on Sora's head, wondering at the logic in such a world.

Sora let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he relaxed into Squall's embrace. _He doesn't hate me… _He felt as though a shadow had passed, and now he knew that he could face his mom, Kairi, and even the police. _Riku, though… _Sora burrowed deeper into Squall's arms, a fog of guilt settling around him heavily. _I just can't see him yet. I'm not ready. And I still don't want to go home._

Squall tensed as Sora moved against him. _This isn't right, taking advantage of him like this. But then, I can't help it._ He knew he'd take any excuse to hold Sora. Suddenly he was aware of arms around him, and his heart did a flip flop. Lifting his head, he looked down.

Sora stared back at him, his eyes luminous. "Squall," he said in a low voice. "Can I spend the night?"

__

The hell! Squall felt an involuntary shudder go through him, and knew that Sora could probably feel it too. _Who's taking advantage of who, here? _"What?" he tried, knowing that he must've heard Sora wrong.

Sora sighed deeply. "I want to spend the night. I can't go home, just yet." He laid his head against Squall's chest, listening to the heartbeat. "I feel safe with you. I always have."

With his hormones fighting him every step of the way, Squall gently removed Sora's arms with more resistance than expected. He stood, ignoring the hurt look on Sora's face. "What about your mother? Won't she be worried?" _Do you want me to lose my mind? _"I mean, I don't want you to get in trouble." He offered, lamely.

Sora stood and placed his hand on Squall's back, feeling the muscles tense beneath his fingertips. "I'm already in trouble. But I'm not ready to face it tonight. Please, don't make me leave..."

"Where are you planning to sleep?" Squall asked, without turning around. With a sinking feeling, he knew that he had already given in. _I can deny him nothing. If he asked me for the world, I'd be forced to conquer it in his name. _He sighed with resignation. _Who's taking advantage of who, _he thought again.

"With you." Sora answered immediately, and then blushed. "In your room, I mean. I don't want to be alone."

__

That's it, then. Squall heard himself speaking, but the words didn't quite register in his brain. "What is it that you're afraid of, Sora?" _This is too dangerous…He doesn't know what he's doing to me. If he stays with me tonight…_

"I don't know." Sora replied, with complete honesty. "Being alone, I think." He moved his hand gingerly across Squall's back, wanting him to turn around.

Squall finally turned around and looked at Sora, his gray eyes unreadable. "Do you know what I'm afraid of, Sora?" _You've sealed your fate, Leonhart._

Sora shook his head. "No. What are you afraid of?" _He's looking at me that way again, _he realized with something like relief.

"Myself." He gave in to his emotions and pressed his lips to Sora's. Faintly, he was aware of the barriers between them shattering as he wound his arms around Sora's waist. He kissed him leisurely, his tongue driven by pure need and raw sensuality. He felt Sora arch against him instinctively, and deepened his kiss, demanding utter submission.

Sora molded his body against Squall's, the intensity of the kiss taking over his mind. Any surprise he'd felt at Squall's decision was swallowed up by the rush of his blood. His pulse throbbed, attesting that he wanted this, needed this. _Yes… _His fingers curled into the hem of Squall's shirt.

Squall pulled back for air, his eyes half-closed. He leaned down and nipped at Sora's earlobe as he spoke, sliding his hands under his shirt. "I'm afraid that once I start this..." _I won't be satisfied until I've claimed him completely, and even then… _"I won't be able to stop." he murmured, against Sora's neck.

Sora shuddered at the feel of warm breath on his skin. "Then don't." he whispered, knowing what he was asking. _I want Squall to be my first… _Right on the heels of that, _I think I even want him to be my last_. He felt a slight twinge of guilt that he was betraying Riku, but he forced it from his mind. _This has nothing to do with him._

"We've been dancing around this for too long." Squall breathed, his hands roaming over Sora's skin. "You know what I want?" _Am I willing to risk everything for this? _He trailed kisses along the side of Sora's neck, reveling in the taste of his skin.

"Yes." Sora yelped as Squall's fingers brushed a sensitive spot on his back. He leaned into him harder, his own fingers kneading the hem of Squall's shirt. He was dying to touch his bare skin, but his shyness held him back. His knees trembled slightly, and he felt himself being guided gently to the sofa. The kisses on his skin were setting him on fire, and he melted back onto the sofa, pulling Squall towards him. A shudder went through him as he felt hands on his hips and the comforting weight of Squall settling over him. "I've never done this before." he whispered huskily.

__

What about with Riku? Squall wanted to ask, but squashed it quickly. _Saying that would definitely be a bad idea. Sora might feel guilty and leave. But, maybe that's what I should do. If this goes on, I'll be feeling enough guilt for both of us. _Instead, Squall eased his knee down, allowing it to come to rest between Sora's legs. His thigh brushed against something firm, eliciting a whimper from Sora's parted lips. Greedily, Squall swallowed the sound, his tongue artfully probing the soft recesses of Sora's mouth.

Sora entwined his legs with Squall's, whimpering again when he was inadvertently stroked. _I know what he wants, because I want the same thing. This is what I want, _he thought. _I want him_. He squirmed, unable to remain still, needing to feel Squall's touch all over.

Squall's own need rose in response to Sora's soft sounds of pleasure. Firmly, he began to rub his thigh against Sora's groin, feeling the hardness he'd caused. Something in his mind warned him to stop before it went too far. _But it's already gone too far, _he thought as Sora cried out against his lips. With forced gentleness he raised Sora up fractionally and tugged his shirt loose, guiding it over his head, and freeing his arms.

Sora took a sharp breath as his bare back met with the cool leather of the sofa. His breath turned into a moan as fingers found his nipples, already hardened from the air. Lips returned momentarily to his neck, trailing down to his collarbone. The stroking of Squall's thigh between his legs was building up to a wonderful friction and he ground his hips against him, wanting more. _But I don't think I can take anymore…_

· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·

****

Notes: In case you missed it in the author's notes, the rest of this chapter is located at my adultfanfiction profile and I also have the chapter hosted up on my old website. Fan fiction keeps messing up my links here, so go to my author profile page, and copy the link into the address window. Don't click on it, because it doesn't work for some damn reason. If that still doesn't work, go to my livejournal (my livejournal name is cynicalcountess), and get the link from my profile page. I am so sorry! I wish fan fiction hadn't gone all PG-13 on us a while back.

Riku: Yeah, and you'd better watch your ass, because they've already kicked you off this site before, you know.

Gah, that was a long time ago. >. 

1. even though sora seemed terrified, does he still like/love riku?

Riku: Of course, he still loves me! We're soulmates, dammit!

(ignores Riku) Yes, he still has feelings for him, because they have a history together, after all.

2. And when are you going to put some yaoi lemons in there for us?

I just did, silly. .

Riku: And you'd better take it back out too, or I'll be kicking your ass all weekend! The nerve of this woman! First she leaves me completely out of the chapter, and then she tries to make Sora into some sort of foul temptress...

Quiet, hater. (sprays Riku with the hose) Anyway, there will be more lemons. I'm not saying that they will all be Squall/Sora ones, though.

3. Heyhey, what happend to you answering the questions?

Riku: Busted!

Oops! I forgot! >. 

4. will you marry me?

Sure!

Riku: I thought you were already married to your precious chocolate cake.

Damn. >. 

By the way, it was very interesting to see all of the different opinions on Jake. Some people hated him and were glad when he was dead, while others felt sorry for him. On the subject of my warning, I knew that saying there would be a death in the chapter might take away from the shock value, but I just wanted to give a heads up, in case anyone was particularly sensitive, so that they could skip it. I don't think anyone skipped it though. I wonder if anyone will skip this chapter?

Again, thanks to everyone for reading! If you do go to one of the links to read the unedited chapter, please remember to come back and review! Your support is very important to me. Thanks!


	17. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts. But I do own a nice picture I drew of Halloween Town Sora that is on my webpage for anyone who wants to see it. He's shirtless, by the way.

**Author's Note:** I'm back. Feels like forever, I know!

**Warning:** Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·

_Jake turned to Sora, his blue eyes darkened with pain and confusion. "He made me. I'm so sorry, Sora." Trembling, he turned the barrel of the gun on himself._

"_No!" Sora shouted, reaching out as if to grasp time itself._

_A single gunshot obliterated all other sound._

Sora jerked awake with a strangled cry, his heart pounding. _Oh God! Jake… _Sunlight streamed into his eyes and he blinked, raising a hand to shield his face. _Man, I must've dreamed it all. But why would I dream something like that? _He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _It had to be a dream, though. I'm still in bed. Why didn't mom wake me up for school? And why do I feel so drained? _He stretched, yawning, and became aware of something pressed against his back. _Eh? What's that? _He glanced down tiredly. There was an arm lying across his waist. _Huh? _His heart revved up once again, and he yelped. _What the hell is all this!_

The form against him shifted slightly, mumbling something incoherent.

Sora felt all of his memories from the night before come flooding back in a dizzying rush. _That's right! I went to the party with Riku last night. Then, I found Jake, and he tried to kill us, but he ended up killing himself, and after that… I ran away. Right! I ran to Squall's apartment, and then we… _His eyes widened and he took a closer look at his surroundings. _This isn't my house! This is Squall's bedroom! That means that… _He turned slowly around, feeling as though he would die of shock at any moment.

Squall regarded him calmly, his gray eyes alert despite the early hour. "Hi."

Sora stared. _We did **it**. We really did **it**. _"Hi." he choked out. _I can't believe it. _

Squall pushed himself up, leaning on one elbow. "I take it you're not too pleased about this turn of events." _He looks petrified._

Sora watched in abject horror as the sheet tumbled off of Squall's shoulders, revealing his well-muscled arms and chest. _Gah! I touched that last night! Ack! _He blushed and began to stammer. "I… I… It's not that, I just… well, I forgot and…"

"You forgot?" Squall questioned. "Shit, was I that damn bad that you had to block me out of your mind? It was traumatic for you?"

"No, no!" Sora protested furiously. "You were fantastic. Really wonderful." His blush deepened. "Not that I had anything to compare it to, but still…"

"That's enough. You're starting to hurt my feelings." Squall teased. He stretched, yawning, and pretended not to notice Sora's stare.

Sora averted his eyes after a moment and swallowed hard, as the reality of his situation began to sink in. _I slept with my English teacher! I cheated on Riku! I ran from the scene of a crime! I stayed out all night without letting my mom know where I was at! She's going to kill me if she finds out even half of what went on last night! _He put a hand to his head. "I think, I'm going to pass out."

"Careful, Sora." Squall said, quickly putting his arms around him. He pulled Sora back against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so unconcerned about it. Everything that happened was a big deal for me, too. It's just, I agonized over it all night long, once you fell asleep." He sighed. "But that didn't change anything. What's done is done, and I can't say I regret it. Unless you do." He gently turned Sora to look at him. "If you regret what happened, then I'll never forgive myself."

Sora shook his head slowly. "No, I don't regret it. Not at all." He tentatively reached out and stroked Squall's chest, expecting to wake up at any moment. "I wanted it for so long, but I never thought it would happen."

"Neither did I," Squall admitted. "I feel bad about it, but I can't deny that I wanted you." He took Sora's hand within his own. "So, what are we going to do now? I think I've done more than enough. The next move is yours, Sora. Whatever you say, I'll do. If you want me to go down to the station and confess, I'll do it. If you want me to find a new job, I'll do it. I never wanted to hurt you, or make you uncomfortable in any way."

Sora shook his head and hugged Squall. "Of course not! I don't want you to get arrested or lose your job! But, I don't know what to do." His brows furrowed. "I mean, what is there to do?"

Squall stroked his back. _Everything I said was true. I would've given it all up if he asked me to, and not because of guilt, either. Simply because I never want to see him upset. _"Well, how about breakfast, for a start?"

Sora nodded. "Breakfast sounds good." _I am sort of hungry. Mom can wait until I've eaten something, at least. The rest of the world can wait forever._

"You sound good." Squall teased, raising an eyebrow. He laughed when Sora blushed furiously and averted his eyes. "Hey, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. I still can't believe it myself."

"I can't either." Sora answered truthfully. He turned his gaze to Squall's. "Can I kiss you?" he asked shyly.

Squall smirked. "Not with that morning breath, pal."

Sora let out an indignant yowl and lunged out of the bed. "I don't have to take this!" he insisted, heading for the bathroom.

Squall slapped him on his bare rump as he passed, earning a shriek. "That's right. Now go freshen up, and I'll start on breakfast."

Sora shot him a look that was deliriously happy, despite his best attempts at frowning, and ducked out of the room.

Squall heard the bathroom door close and mentally let out the breath he'd been holding. _That went well. _He pulled back the sheets and stepped out of the bed. Leisurely he moved around the room, picking some lounging clothes from the dresser and putting them on. He considered picking some for Sora, and quickly thought better of it. _As much as I hate to send him out of here in those filthy rags of his, I'd be signing my own death warrant if I gave him some of mine. His mother is going to be mad enough to shit, as it is. _Now he did feel a pang of guilt, and he paused, his shirt half on. He'd never known his own mother, but he was pretty sure that she would be worried if he had run off for a whole night without telling her what the deal was. _How the hell are we going to handle this?_ He sighed and finished pulling on his shirt. _One day at a time, I guess._ He left his bedroom and rapped on the door to the bathroom.

"Yeah?" came Sora's garbled reply.

_He's using my toothbrush, _Squall realized. _And I don't mind one bit. _"When you finish, you can find your raggedy clothes on the floor in my room. So, don't pull another one of your little 'Oops, I don't have any clothes' stunts."

Sora's outraged response was completely unintelligible.

"Whatever." Squall replied, and headed into the kitchen. He set to work fixing up a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs. As an afterthought, he put a couple slices of bread into the toaster, just in case. He'd already seen how much food Sora could put away. _He'd get huge if it weren't for that metabolism of his. _

"Ooh bacon!" Sora exclaimed, ambushing Squall, a few minutes later. He peered over his shoulder to stare at the frying food. "How did you know I liked my eggs scrambled with cheese?"

"Lucky guess." Squall offered, turning around. "And what are you doing in my robe?" He playfully brandished the spatula. "I ought to pop you with this for taking those kind of liberties."

"I didn't want to wear dirty clothes while I was eating." Sora protested. "And stop, or you'll burn the bacon!"

"It's tastes better that way." Squall replied, but turned back to the stove. "Get a couple of plates, will you?"

"Okay." Sora found them immediately, so familiar was he with Squall's kitchen by now. _I feel like I belong here._ He set them down on the counter. "Now what?"

"Now you get yourself a glass of juice, sit down and wait." Squall answered, turning the bacon. _Do I deserve to be this happy after what I've done?_

Sora watched Squall from his stool, still unsure what to make of it all. _I wouldn't change this, but I don't know what to do next. I know that I want to see Squall again, but first I have to deal with my mom. And Riku._ He was glad to have a distraction from his thoughts when Squall finally brought him a plate filled with eggs, bacon, and two slices of buttered toast. "This looks great!"

"Well, hopefully it tastes great. I hardly get to cook half of the food I buy. Cloud usually beats me to it." Squall admitted, fixing his own plate.

Sora stiffened. "Is he over here a lot?" _Cloud is really good-looking. I wouldn't stand a chance if he went after Squall._

Squall shrugged. "More than I'd like him to be." Then he realized the cause for Sora's discomfort, and turned around. "Wait, are you jealous?"

"No." Sora replied quickly. _Too embarrassing!_

Squall sat down beside him. "Well, don't be. Cloud has a wonderful girlfriend. He'd have to be a complete fool to leave her. No one else would put up with him for long."

Sora relaxed and began to eat his food. _Well, what right do I have to be jealous, anyway? It's not like Squall and I are a couple or anything. Although… _He snuck a glance at his companion. _I guess I wouldn't mind if we were._

Squall watched Sora eat, marveling at his own lack of guilt. _I was torturing myself over a kiss, but now that I've had him completely, I don't feel bad at all. I guess feeling guilty at this point would be a lot like buying a smoke detector after your house has burned down. _He ate his own breakfast, wondering if it was possible for him to take Sora home without telling on himself. _If I just dropped him off and sped away, it would be suspicious as all get out. Not to mention, they're probably looking out for him, which would make that impossible._ He could think of no possible excuse that would suffice. "I'm afraid you're going to have to walk home, Sora." he announced when they had both finished their meals.

"I knew that." Sora answered, rolling his eyes. "What do you think I am? Stupid?" He stood up.

"Well…" Squall began, smirking.

Sora turned his back on him, crossing his arms. "You're such a jerk, Squall."

Squall stood up and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh, like you didn't already know that." _Once he leaves, I'll be counting the hours until I see him again. _

Sora turned around, his eyes shy. "I'm still not used to this, you know." _I did **it**, with Squall Leonhart, of all people! How did it happen_? "Can I kiss you, now?"

Squall raised an eyebrow. "You never let not having my permission stop you before. Go ahead, if you want." He watched with amusement as Sora leaned forward and kissed him firmly on his lips before pulling back, blushing. "Is that the best you've got?" he teased.

Determination set, Sora leaned forward again and pulled Squall down to his lips, and dove in. _I can kiss him now, whenever I want to. _He boldly met Squall's tongue with his own, marveling at the new sense of freedom. _If I forget everything when I grow old, I will always remember the moment when I kissed Squall Leonhart and he let me. _He pulled back after a minute, shaky. "That better?"

Squall pretended to think about it. "Well… it was fine, but…" _I love picking with him. I love everything about him. What would it be like to date him? To wake up next to him every day? _

"But what?" Sora asked anxiously. _Oh God! What was wrong with it! I didn't do it any differently! Besides, I'm new at all this stuff, I'm doing the best I can, and when is he going to answer me! _"But what?" he repeated.

"…You taste like bacon." Squall said after a long moment, and grinned.

"Squall! You jerk!"

· ·§· ·

Riku pulled his pillow down over his ears, and gritted his teeth. It turned out to be a wasted effort. He could still hear his parents arguing furiously in the living room, waking him up way too early for a Saturday morning. He savagely kicked at his mattress. _I can't believe I got myself into this shit! Sora told me something bad would happen, but I didn't listen. I'm so fucking stubborn, and now Jake is dead, Sora is missing, and I'm in a shitload of trouble. _He heard the sound of breaking glass and cringed, pulling the pillow down harder. _And Dad just had to spend the night here after he picked me up from the station. Mom probably screwed him out of loneliness, and now they're back to their usual petty bullshit. _He heard something else shatter and sat up, his eyes narrowed. _That's it! It's all my fault, I know. But I'm not going to hide in shame while dad goads ma into breaking everything we own!_

Riku swung his legs out of bed and stood up, still in the oversized sweatshirt and jeans his father had brought down to the station for him. He'd had no idea that his father even knew what a sweatshirt was. _He probably got it in some "When Your Kid Gets Arrested Kit" he found on Ebay. _He slid his feet into his slippers, and opened his bedroom door, wincing when the sound of the fighting reached his ears that much easier. He stalked down the stairs, not at all sure what he was going to say, just knowing he couldn't lay down and ignore it. The living room came into view and his mouth fell open. It looked like a war had broken out.

An entire newspaper was strewn haphazardly across the coffee table, soaking up the coffee that dripped lazily from a newly shattered mug. Another end table had been overturned, post it notes and sharpies crushed beneath it. Bright shards of the Tiffany lamp his mother had received as a wedding gift sparkled in the sunlight, creating an expensive kaleidoscope of broken glass all across the carpet. Sephiroth was standing in the middle of it all, advancing on Lillian who glared back at him coldly.

"Alright!" Riku shouted. "Stop the fighting! Just stop!"

Both of his parents turned to regard him, shocked. For a moment there was complete silence. Outside, the birds chirped merrily.

"Oh Riku…" Lillian murmured weakly. There were tears in her eyes.

"You turn around and get your narrow ass back up those stairs!" Sephiroth ordered. "This is none of your concern, you little convict!"

Lillian whirled on him. "Don't you talk to him like that, you sanctimonious bastard! I told you to get out!"

"For fuck's sake!" Riku screamed, kicking the sofa. _Gah! They've sucked me right along into it! _"Stop! Both of you! Just shut the fuck up!"

Sephiroth's mouth fell open. No one had ever told him to shut the fuck up before in his entire life. _My own son… _He simply stared at Riku in disbelief.

Lillian sat down on the couch, her hands over her mouth. Her face crumpled and she began to cry in great heaving sobs.

Riku went to her, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath his house slippers. When she looked up, he hugged her, rubbing his cheek against hers. "Please don't cry, Mom… I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! But I'm sick of how you two always fight!"

Sephiroth watched for a moment, and then stalked into the kitchen, disgusted. _This is ridiculous. _After a few minutes of waiting for Lillian's sobs to subside, he came back with the broom and dustpan. Awkwardly, he began to sweep up the broken glass fragments, a somewhat shamed expression on his face.

Riku watched him for a moment, and then turned back to his mother. "What's going on, ma?"

Lillian sighed and placed a comforting hand on Riku's cheek. "Nothing, Riku. We're both just so worried about you and we got a little carried away. You could've been killed last night! I don't know what I would've done if that boy had shot you." She shuddered. "I can't even imagine how his mother must feel right now."

"The school psychologist needs to be fired for allowing a psychopath to roam the student body." Sephiroth muttered, still sweeping. "I could make one telephone call, and have them all under investigation."

"It wasn't like that." Riku said quietly. _Now's as good a time as any. _He sighed. "Jake wasn't crazy until recently. Or maybe, he was always crazy, but he wasn't dangerous, until the fight."

"What fight?" Sephiroth asked, confused.

"I was in a fight last week." Riku explained. "I got suspended, and we didn't tell you, because you'd just blame it on mom being too easy on me. But it was self-defense!" He clenched his fists. "Jake might've really hurt Sora, if I hadn't protected him… I guess I should've known how far gone he was then…"

"Riku," interrupted Sephiroth. "You're not making any sense. What do you mean to say?"

Riku felt his mother squeeze his hand and looked at her. "_You don't have to tell him, if you don't want to_," her eyes said.

Riku shook his head and went on. "Dad, Jake wanted to kill me, because he was jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Sephiroth asked, thoroughly perplexed now. "It's not like you flaunt your wealth the way that you're supposed to."

Despite her tears, Lillian rolled her eyes.

"Jake was jealous of me and Sora." Riku continued gently.

Sephiroth stopped sweeping and stared at Riku skeptically. "Riku, do you mean to tell me that this boy wanted to kill you out of jealousy towards your friendship with Sora? He wanted to be your friend that badly?"

Riku sighed again. _Oh man, why does dad have to be so dense about these things? _"My boyfriend."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Sephiroth.

"Sora is my boyfriend." Riku took a deep breath. "Dad, I'm attracted to other guys. And Jake wanted to be my boyfriend. That's why he was jealous."

Sephiroth sat down on the floor, stunned. For once in his life, he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Lillian burst into nervous giggles, covering her eyes with both hands like a child.

Riku groaned and put his face in his palm. _Now what?_

· ·§· ·

Sora sighed heavily when his house came into view. _Am I really ready for this? I hope so. _He hadn't wanted to leave, but Squall had insisted, and Sora knew he was right. His mother was probably devastated. _I really should've called, but it's too late for that now. _Nervous, he jogged up to his door, and fished around in his pocket for his keys. He found the piece of paper Squall had given him and managed a slight smile. _He gave me his number and told me to call. Maybe if I don't get grounded for life. _Groaning, he found his keys and unlocked the door. He had barely pushed it open when he heard a squeal of delight. He stepped inside and closed the door, his pulse racing. _Here we go. _

Kairi jumped up from the sofa, the Fear Street book in her lap tumbling onto the floor forgotten. "Aunt Sonya!" she shrieked. "Aunt Sonya!" She ran to Sora and threw her arms around his neck.

Sora hugged her, feeling immensely pleased by her concern, but guilty for causing it. "It's okay, Kairi! I'm here now."

Sonya padded down the stairs, looking exhausted, her auburn hair pulled back in a messy bun. "Kairi, what is it…" Her words trailed off and her eyes widened as she laid eyes on her only child. "Sora? Is it really you?" She raised a trembling hand to her mouth.

Sora nodded, and gently disengaged himself from Kairi. "Mom, I'm so sorry." _She looks so very tired. Squall was right, I should've called. _

Sonya flew over to her son and enfolded him into a hug, squeezing him fiercely. "I'm so glad you're safe!" She struggled to hold back her tears. "Oh, Sora…" She looked at him pleadingly. "Why did you run away like that? When Lillian called and told me what happened at the party and you never came back, I thought something terrible had happened to you! I was up crying all night!" She shook her head. "I waited, and waited, so afraid that I would get a phone call telling me that your body had been found in a ditch somewhere!"

Kairi punched him savagely in one arm. "Yeah! We were really worried!" Tears leaked from the corners of her violet eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Sora insisted. "I just, I couldn't come home after what happened! I needed to be alone, to think."

"You didn't have to run away!" Sonya argued. "You could've come home! We would've left you alone!" She shook her head. "Where did you go, all that time?"

"I was at the bus station." Sora lied. He had turned over several plausible stories in his mind during his walk home, determined to keep suspicion away from Squall. "I slept on a bench. No one bothered me."

"Oh Sora…" Sonya said, and started crying again.

Kairi joined in, and together they hugged Sora for what seemed like hours. Finally their sobs tapered down into sniffles, and Kairi socked him again, this time in the small of his back. "Don't do it again."

"Oww!" Sora groaned. "Take it easy, I had a rough night, you know."

"We all did." Sonya said. She looked Sora over, scrutinizing. "And you look like an absolute mess, young man." She sighed and ruffled his hair. "It's no wonder you didn't get taken to a homeless shelter."

Sora shrugged. "I guess. I just want to get cleaned up and get some rest." _That much is true, at least._

"Oh, of course!" Sonya said, as though just remembering. She turned to her niece. "Kairi, go run some hot bathwater for Sora, and I'll get started cooking something nice."

Kairi gave Sora one last hug, and bounded up the stairs.

Sonya turned back to her son. "I want you to go on and take your bath, and then, when you're ready, we're all going to have a long talk about this. You're in deep trouble, but I suppose you knew that already."

"Yeah, I knew." Sora admitted. "I deserve it for making you worry. I never wanted to make you cry, mom."

"I love you, Sora." Sonya hugged him one last time, as though afraid she would never see him again.

Sora gently pulled away, and turned to go upstairs.

"Sora?" questioned Sonya, her dark eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"Yes, mom?" Sora said, turning.

"Why are you walking like that? It's almost like you're limping." Sonya explained, approaching as though afraid he would collapse at any moment.

Sora quickly turned away so that his mother wouldn't see him blush. _I didn't even realize it! I must be sore because of Squall…_ Heat flooded his face at the thought. "Um, my legs are just stiff from sleeping on the bench. It was really cold, and the metal was so uncomfortable, but I kept rolling around trying to stay warm..." he stammered.

"My poor baby." Sonya sighed, and hugged him again. "You'd better hurry up and get in the bathtub. You've been through so much. We'll talk about everything after you've eaten."

· ·§· ·

"How long have you known that you preferred… that you were…" Sephiroth ground out. After the initial shock of Riku's confession, he had eventually moved from his undignified place on the floor to a spot on the sofa. Lillian had left them alone to talk, but every now and then she peeked out of the kitchen, making sure all was well.

"That I'm gay?" Riku asked. "Actually, I like guys and girls, but I just like Sora the most. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's a guy. I would've felt the same way even if he was a girl. It's so much deeper than gender."

Sephiroth sighed and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "So, you think that you're in love with Sora?"

"I know that I'm in love with Sora." Riku corrected. "I always have been."

"Well," Sephiroth sighed again, rolling his eyes. "This certainly changes things. So much for any notions I had of marrying you off."

Riku bristled. "I'm not some sort of business acquisition to trade around, okay?"

"I was jesting." Sephiroth said flatly. "Although, this will take some getting used to." He scowled. "You know, Vincent always told me that he suspected you were… that you preferred males, but I never believed him." He shook his head. "I'll never guess how he figured it out."

Riku kept his mouth shut. _If I tell him about Vincent, he just might pop. It'd be too much too handle at once. I suppose it's bad enough to learn that your son is into guys, let alone having to hear about how your personal assistant wants to hump you, too. _

Lillian appeared in the doorway, her calm demeanor apparently restored. "I made some tuna sandwiches." she announced softly. "I think we should all have something to eat."

Riku glanced at his father. _I know her cooking usually sends him running for the hills, but he's got to have enough tact to stay this time._

Sephiroth appeared to be fighting an internal battle. "Splendid." he managed after a moment. "I was getting rather hungry. If you don't mind, of course."

Lillian shook her head. "No, I don't mind. What about you, Riku?"

Riku shrugged. "Fine by me."

· ·§· ·

Sora relaxed back into the tub, feeling the tension melt out of his muscles. _So far, so good. _He hadn't been caught up in any lies, but then he still had yet to tell his mother the entire story. _If I can just keep Squall's name out of it, I'll consider it a success. _He shuddered. _Squall… I still can't believe what we did. _He sank down lower into the water, recalling the events of last night. He didn't know which was worse, the guilt for sleeping with Squall, or the guilt for allowing what had happened with Squall to completely overshadow what had happened with Jake. _Poor Jake. I wish I could tell him that I'm sorry, but that's not my apology to give. _He sighed. _Riku… I don't know when I'll ever want to talk to him again. He's probably been chewed out pretty good by now, but it's probably not nearly what he deserves._

"Are you okay in there, Sora?" called Kairi, from outside the door.

Sora jumped, almost sliding under the water. "I'm fine!" he answered. "I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"

"Take your time!" Kairi replied quickly. "Aunt Sonya and I were just getting a little worried, that's all. Lunch is ready, by the way. We'll be downstairs."

Sora closed his eyes and let out a breath. He was not looking forward to how much more over-protective his mom was going to become now that this had happened. _She probably won't let me out of the house again until I'm 25. Who knows when I'll see Squall again? _He let out an involuntary shudder at the thought. _How am I going to face him in class Monday? Or, how am I going to face anyone? Everyone who was at that party saw me leave after Jake shot himself. What are they thinking? _

After a few more minutes, Sora sighed and sat up. He knew that as much as he'd like to, staying in the tub all day wouldn't erase what happened to Jake, or his own role in it. Quietly, he rinsed himself off and stood up. Letting the water drain, he carefully dried himself off, glad to finally have some clean clothes to put on. Mentally, he rehearsed his story as he dressed, making sure that there were no obvious loopholes. _I'd better make it solid, because it probably won't be the last time I have to tell it._

Sonya and Kairi were seated at the table, already waiting when Sora finally walked into the kitchen. A delicious-looking ham sandwich rested on a plate, and Sora gratefully helped himself to it, while the two women in his life watched over him anxiously. Without being asked, Sonya pushed a glass of orange soda towards her son. Kairi offered him a plate of cookies she'd no doubt baked in a hurry.

"Thanks." Sora murmured, after he'd finished his meal. "You didn't have to, but I appreciate it so much." He sighed. "I don't know what I would do without your support."

Kairi struggled to keep from tearing up again. "Shut up, or I'm going to cry."

Sonya patted her niece on the back, and then turned to Sora. "I've already spoken to Lillian, but I want to hear everything that happened from you now. From the moment you left last night, until the moment I came downstairs and saw you this afternoon." She waved her finger at him. "And don't you leave out a single thing."

_Sorry mom, but you'll never know the whole truth if I can help it. _Sora took a breath, and began telling them the events of the previous night. He divulged everything leading up to the tragedy, omitting nothing, not even the true nature of his relationship with Riku. When he got to the part about Jake's breakdown and suicide, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye.

Kairi clapped a hand over her mouth and fled the room, trying to keep from heaving.

Sora started to go after her, but Sonya was already on her feet. "Stay here, I'll take care of Kairi." she ordered softly, leaving the room.

Sora put a hand to his forehead and sighed. If Kairi had gotten that upset, he didn't want to see how the rest of the school is going to react. _God, what is Selphie going through? _He clenched his fist. _So much pain. And it all could've been avoided. I hope you're happy Riku. I hope you're absolutely goddamn giddy. _

"Alright." Sonya said, returning a few minutes later. "Kairi is fine. She was just up all night, she hadn't eaten much, and I think her body just wasn't ready to hear about it yet." She sat down in her chair and met Sora's eyes. "Continue."

"Well, that's when I left the party." Sora explained. "It wasn't like I was trying to avoid getting in trouble or anything, it's just… I couldn't take it! Everyone was standing around just gaping at me, and all the while, they had no clue what had really happened. I felt like I couldn't breathe, so I just ran away."

"Okay." Sonya nodded, believing him. His story was identical with the one that Lillian had made Riku tell her over the phone last night. "Go on."

_This is the tricky part. _Carefully, Sora recited his fictional story of deciding to go to the bus station because it was clean and well-lit. He called to mind every detail he could remember from previous visits to make his tale more authentic. When he finished, he knew his mother believed him. He could see it in her eyes. _Squall is safe_. He let out a relieved sigh.

"So, Riku is your boyfriend?" Sonya questioned after a long moment.

"You could say that." Sora answered, not too pleased about this particular subject of discussion.

Sonya poured herself a glass of soda. "And how long has this been going on?"

Sora thought about it. "Almost two weeks now, I guess." He shrugged.

"And when were you planning on telling me?" Sonya questioned, taking a sip.

"Never." Sora confessed, grimacing. _I already regret telling you, to be honest._

"Why not?" Sonya asked, obviously hurt.

Sora shrugged again, wishing she would just drop it already. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I was embarrassed. I thought you might be upset or something."

"Sora, can't believe you thought I'd be upset about something like that! How could I? It's a part of who you are, and I wouldn't change a thing about you. I'll admit, I did hope to have grandchildren someday." Sonya shook her head. "But I'm your mother! I want to know these things about you. I need to know them. That way I won't be beating myself up at night, wondering why my son is acting strange, or why he ran away."

Sora groaned. "It was only for one night!"

"And those were the longest twelve hours of my life!" Sonya crossed her arms. "You really stepped in it, Sora. I mean it. Your punishment goes into effect as soon as we get back from the police station. They've been waiting an awful long time for your statement, young man."

"I just needed some time to think!" Sora argued, secretly relieved that his mother had believed everything he told her, has even accepted his relationship with Riku in fact. _If getting fussed at is the price I have to pay, I'll pay it gladly._

"I understand that perfectly, honey." Sonya told him. "You're going to have plenty of time to think while you're grounded. One month."

_That seems fair, wait! What! _"Are you serious!" Sora cried.

"As a heart attack." Sonya assured him. "One month. No telephone, no television, no music, no video games, no dessert, no going to the mall, the movies, the arcade, or any other place where fun can be had. For thirty days, you will go to school, come straight home, eat, sleep, bathe, and breathe."

Sora reeled. "Mom, that seems kind of excessive, don't you think?" _It's not like I killed him!_

"No, Sora. What happened to Jake was excessive." She placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Honey, you have to understand. That boy died. He's not going to get to go to prom, graduation, or college. And his parents are the ones who will suffer for it."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Sora pleaded. "Mom, I tried to stop him! You have to believe me."

"Of course I believe you!" Sonya responded. "I know that it wasn't your fault, nor was it Riku's fault. That boy chose to kill himself, no one forced him to do it. And you chose to disappear last night." She shook her head. "Do you realize that I felt just a taste of the agony his parents must've experienced when I didn't know where you were? And a taste was more than enough. A month of punishment might seem like a big deal for you, but at least no one is planning your funeral!"

Sora sighed, resigned. _I guess that solves the problem of what to say to Riku. I won't be saying anything, because I'll be grounded for a month. _"You're right, mom. And I'm sorry for everything." _If only she would've grounded me from going to school._

· ·§· ·

Riku followed his dad to the car, not sure what exactly he should say to him. It had been an oddly peaceful meal for the three of them, his parents talking quietly while he paid no real attention to what they were saying. His thoughts had become entirely preoccupied with Sora. He was worried, but at the same time incredibly pissed off. _How the fuck could he just run out on me like that! Then when the police got there, they cuffed me like some kind of a criminal! If he'd have been there… maybe they would've just ended up slapping handcuffs on both of us. I don't know… _He was startled to feel his father suddenly grab hold of him. "What the-"

Sephiroth enfolded Riku into a strong hug, catching him entirely off guard. "Thank goodness, you're alright."

Riku froze, unsure of what to do. The sudden display of warmth and love in Sephiroth's bright green eyes was entirely unfamiliar and mildly horrifying. _Okay… This is weird. _He tentatively hugged his father back, and was squeezed tighter in return. "Ack! Okay, dad! You're crushing me here!"

Sephiroth backed off, resuming his usual cool demeanor. "Well, then… You will be glad to know that I already have my lawyers working to ensure that if that boy's family wishes to file some sort of suit against you, they will utterly fail."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Riku replied truthfully. _Although, if I have my way, they'll be pissed at a whole different person. _"And thanks for staying for dinner. I know how much you hate ma's cooking, but it was really nice to have both of you together again in one place for a little while."

Sephiroth sighed deeply and toyed with his car keys. "Riku, I have never hated your mother's cooking. Lillian's skills in the kitchen are far superior to those of any other woman I have known, and I assure you, I have known plenty."

_At least I know where I get that from,_ Riku thought wryly. "But then, why did you always put her down, and tell her you hated it?"

"I have worked tirelessly to ensure that no woman I chose for my wife would ever have to cook, Riku. If I had my way, our house would've been filled with loyal servants to wait on the two of you, hand and foot. You wouldn't have even had to bathe yourselves, I'm afraid." Sephiroth admitted, smiling slightly.

"That sounds a little sick." Riku answered, before he could stop himself.

"I agree." Sephiroth gazed upward into the clear fall sky. "I suppose I wanted to keep a family of perfect little glass dolls, in an immaculate display case. I had hoped that my feigned disgust for your mother's cooking would eventually persuade her to comply with my ideals. Alas, she served me another delightful little dish. Divorce papers."

Riku blinked. "Um, wow. I had no idea." _And all this time I thought he was just a cold, materialistic, heartless bastard._ "Sorry."

Sephiroth waved a hand. "No matter. The past is the past. I have no regrets, and you too must learn to live without them. You may take lessons and even inspiration from your mistakes, but never take regrets. Regret is nothing more than the useless emotional manifestation of man's lack of control over the machinations of fate. A man can no more change the past, than stop the earth from turning." He turned his eyes to his son. "Do you comprehend what I'm telling you?"

Riku could read his father's expression. _He's telling me that no matter what shit I end up taking at school because of this, I've got to keep my head up high. _He nodded. "Yes, dad."

Sephiroth clapped him briskly on the shoulder. "Excellent. I will be in touch." He disarmed the alarm on his black Mercedes and climbed in.

Riku watched him drive away, feeling as though he understood his father a lot better than he ever had. _I guess I'm a lot more like him than I thought. _He let himself into the house, and headed for the stairs. _I just want to lay down and never get up again. For at least a week._

"Riku?" Lillian called from the kitchen.

Riku turned and headed towards the kitchen instead. "Yeah?" he replied, poking his head into the doorway.

"I just spoke to Sonya." Lillian informed him. "She said that Sora came back today."

Riku's heart jumped in his chest. "Oh? Is he alright?"

Lillian nodded. "Sonya said that he's fine. Spent the night at the bus station downtown. She's taking him to the police station now to make a statement."

Riku sighed. "Good. I'm glad he's okay. I just hope he doesn't hate me."

"Oh kiddo, I'm sure he doesn't hate you." Lillian soothed. "Although, if I were you, I'd give the boy a little space. He's probably plenty upset. On top of all that happened, Sonya grounded him for an entire month."

"Damn!" Riku said. "That's kind of harsh."

"Oh, I don't know." Lillian said slyly. "It'll serve as a punishment to you too, since you won't get to see or talk to him outside of class for a month."

"Shit!" Riku muttered. _I didn't realize that!_

"Watch that mouth, or I'll rinse it out." Lillian warned. She sighed. "Just be patient with Sora. He's been through a lot, and he's a lot more sheltered than you are." She shook her head. "Poor thing. He must've been scared to death down at that bus station."

"Probably." Riku agreed. "I'm going to go lay down until dinner. I have a lot of thinking to do." He headed back towards the stairs. _But why the hell would he go to the bus station? I guess I'll just have to ask him Monday._

· ·§· ·

"95...96...97...98..99...100..." Squall breathed, and then lay still, his damp hair clinging to his scalp.

"Thank God," Cloud muttered. His relief was short lived when Squall put the other arm behind his back, in preparation for yet another round of one-handed pushups. "Hey! Will you cut that out?"

"Why do you care?" asked Squall, making no effort to cease his exercise. "101...102...103..."

"Because you're making me look bad, you bastard." grumbled Cloud, from his place on the couch. "I can only do twenty of those. What are you? A damn Marine, or something?"

"It's not my fault you're weak." Squall shot back, sitting up. He slicked his hair back and let out a deep breath."

Cloud snorted. "It's not my fault you're a testosterone train wreck, either." He stared at his friend warily. "What is with you? You've been exercising like crazy since I got here."

Squall climbed to his feet. "So?" He rolled his eyes, and reached for the towel draped over his sofa. "There some sort of rule against that?" he quipped, drying his hair.

"No, it's just that I've seen rocks that move more than you do on average." Cloud informed him.

"And I've seen rocks that are more intelligent than you are on average." Squall sighed. "What's your point, Strife?"

"Something's up." Cloud declared. "I know you, Leonhart. Your shady ass is up to no good. What, did you get some from your mystery lover again?"

Squall stopped toweling his damp hair just long enough to shoot his former roommate a look of pure murder. "What I did or didn't get, isn't any of your fucking business."

Cloud put his hands up. "Damn. I get the point. You're always so touchy."

Squall draped the towel over his shoulders and sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be a complete asshole. It's just…" He sat down on the other end of the couch and ran a hand through his still damp hair. "I'm really just scared to death."

"Of what?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm afraid that things are going to be different between us now." Squall admitted, leaning back and closing his eyes. _And if it's this nerve-wracking for me, I can only imagine what Sora must feel like. "_Sex changes everything, you know."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Yeah man, tell me about it."

Squall sat up and looked at his guest. "How far along into the relationship were you and Aerith before you had sex?" _Maybe I could get some insight from them._

Cloud's face turned a brilliant red. "Excuse me!"

"I said, how far along into the relationship…" Squall repeated.

"I heard you just fine." Cloud interrupted. "I just can't believe your gall! Just moments ago you were practically telling me what was and wasn't any of my fucking business, and now you're asking me a very personal question?"

Squall waved a hand dismissively. "That's beside the point. I'm asking you a legitimate question, not trying to make a smartass remark."

"How is prying into my sex life a legitimate question?" Cloud argued.

"Oh for God's sake, Strife! When did she let you have it?" Squall snapped in irritation. "I need to know."

Cloud stared at Squall for a long moment and then shrugged. "She hasn't."

"You've got to be shitting me." Squall replied incredulously. "You've been trotting after her since forever. Is she a mental case or just prudish?"

"You're one to talk." Cloud shot back. "She's saving herself for marriage. I respect her wishes. There's more to a relationship than sex."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Right. That explains it. I was wondering why a long-legged beauty like that was still single, let alone interested in you. Mystery solved."

Cloud resisted the urge to slug Squall in his exposed ribcage, and instead mused on this change in his demeanor. It was completely unlike Squall to ask that sort of question. _I wonder what's going on with him? _"How long have you been dating this guy of yours?"

Squall shot a glance at Cloud to see if he was teasing, and determined that he wasn't. "We haven't exactly been dating. He's sort of seeing someone else."

Cloud gaped. "Leonhart, you dog! Here I was ready to congratulate you on reacquainting yourself with the human race, and all this time you've been carting around stolen goods." He snickered. "You really are an asshole. Couldn't get your own, eh? Had to take someone else's."

Squall winced, feeling every bit the hound Cloud accused him of being. "It's not like it sounds. He came after me! I mean, I resisted for as long as I could, but last night…"

"Whatever, home wrecker." Cloud quipped. "Tell it to the other guy. Or girl?"

"Guy." Squall corrected. "And I'd like nothing better than to throw it in his boyfriend's face, but that would be the only thing dumber than getting into this situation in the first place. I definitely don't need that drama." _That'd definitely land me in the jailhouse, both for statutory rape, and for having to kick Riku's ass good and proper._

Cloud laughed again. "I'll bet." He raised an eyebrow. "So, how was it?"

"Amazing." Squall replied immediately. "Just incredible. It felt like he was custom made for me. And he was so damn responsive! All I had to do was touch him, and it was like…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Cloud groaned, clapping his hands over his ears. "Damn Leonhart, have you ever heard of too much information? All you had to say was whether it was good or bad. I don't need the play by play."

It was Squall's turn to laugh. "What's the matter, Strife? Was my story giving you wood?"

Cloud rose to his feet. "On that note, I think I'll be getting the hell out of here before you get all nasty, and try to reenact your last night's adventures with me."

"You wish." Squall shot back. "Now that I've had Sora, you just don't do anything for me." _Damn, probably shouldn't have given him a name…_

"Oh ho! So, he does have a name." Cloud taunted. "Although, I can see how he'd end up gay, with a girly-sounding name like that."

"Shut up." Squall replied, rolling his eyes. "And get out of my apartment." He smirked. "And just so you know, I took him on this couch, right here. The same one you were just sitting on." He relaxed back into the cushions, nodding with satisfaction. "What do you think of that, freeloader?"

"I think you're a nasty bastard with no respect for leather." Cloud replied, grimacing. "Oh ugh, I sat on your gay sex furniture. I think I need a shower." He opened the door.

"I think you needed one when even before you came over." Squall called. "I thought you smelled a little rank."

"I'd tell you to blow me, but your little boyfriend might get jealous." Cloud replied loudly, closing the door.

Squall blanched, unable to think of a witty retort. _My boyfriend! Sora? _He sighed, and smiled wistfully at the concept. _I wish. I don't think I can even call him my lover, since we've only had sex once._ He ran a hand through his hair, combing out the tangles. _I would love to have the privilege of calling him my boyfriend or even my lover. _He smirked. _Especially since that means we'd have to have more sex to earn that label. Although, I guess I'll just have to wait and see._

· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·§· ·

**Notes:** It was such a long time, and I'm sorry! I know some of you were worried that I'd given up. Not the case. I give you my word, I will finish this story! And not some half-assed cop-out ending, either! I'm sticking to the plan, no matter how long it takes. Although, it shouldn't take long now that I have a new ISP and a new computer, not to mention more free time since I have a whole semester off. So, hang in there! We'll make it!

Riku: Speak for yourself. I'm frickin' dying, man!

Squall: Shut up, you little upstart.

-Break it up, you two! pokes a broom into the fray


	18. Secrets & Lies

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts. And after this holiday season, I do not even own two pennies to rub together. I just have one. Do you have any idea how hard it is to rub a penny against itself?! Do you?! sobs Oh, I am so, so very broke…

**Author's Note:** I kind of wanted to have this up for Christmas, but things never seem to work out the way that I would like them to. 

**Warning: **Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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The brisk November wind stung against Riku's exposed face as he walked, causing him to jam his hands further into the pockets of his jeans and grimace. His adidas jacket, though fashionable, was hardly adequate protection against the rapidly falling temperatures that signaled the approach of winter. He was struck by a gust of wind nearly strong enough to knock him over, and he gritted his teeth, continuing his slow trek to school. He staunchly refused to hurry his pace, having no desire to face the chaos that was lying in wait for him. _They'll all be waiting for me. Judging me. _

By now Riku knew that the news of Jake's unfortunate demise must've been relayed throughout the student body. There had been only the briefest mention of it on the local news, with the names omitted, since they were all minors. _He was just a kid, _Riku reflected. _We're all just kids. _Mostly everyone had fled as soon as Selphie's scream alerted them to the serious trouble that had manifested. Wakka and Tidus stayed, both of them listening with horror while Riku told them the entire sick history of the various lapses in judgment that had led to the final culmination of tragedy. Riku hoped that he never again had to see such an expression in Wakka's eyes. It was as though he had looked directly into Riku's soul and seen not a single thing worth redemption. Tidus had been dazed but responsive, offering to accompany Riku to the police station if needed. In the end, Riku went alone, Selphie's hysterical cries ringing in his ears as she was comforted by one officer and he was led outside by another.

_Selphie will have told everyone by now, _Riku thought bitterly. _She never could keep her mouth shut about anything._ His dislike of Selphie was one thing that strengthened his resolve for the thing which he must now do. The other thing had been somewhat anticipated, but made no less devastating by the foreknowledge.

Tentatively, Riku had walked to Sora's house that morning, in the hopes that Sora would not be too furious to walk to school with him, at least. Sonja had met him at the door with an unreadable expression and grimly informed him that Sora and Kairi had already left. She offered no apology or further information as she closed the door, and Riku knew that it would be a long time before she ever warmed back up to him.

If Sonja was angry with him now, Riku did not want to know what she would think if the entire truth about Jake's suicide got out. _Selphie wouldn't be stupid enough to tell the whole school her boyfriend was gay, yet, but eventually someone would figure it out. And then…_ Riku shuddered. He didn't want to put Sora through all that. **He** didn't even want to go through all that. What he had come up with was the best for all involved, although he knew convincing Selphie of that fact would be a little hard, especially considering the situation. With a determined look, he took notice of the school now looming in front of him, and crossed the threshold.

If any of the students had harbored any doubts about the authenticity of the rumors surrounding Selphie's party, they were surely put to rest upon arrival at the high school. An enormous white banner with black satin ribbons hanging from it was draped up in the school's lobby, just inside the main doors. Several pictures of Jake had been enlarged and printed on it, along with the words "Jake Addison, You Will Be Missed." A notice on the wall nearby stated that the banner would be held in the main office after school each day of the week for anyone who wanted to sign it and leave their condolences for Jake's family.

_That must've cost his parents a small fortune, _Riku thought, squelching the small pang of guilt he felt at the finality of it all. He could already feel the eyes of the other students as he crossed the hallway, their unspoken thoughts taking an almost tangible form. _I wish Sora was here with me. _He sighed. _Actually, it's better that he's not. I don't want to see his eyes. _He hadn't heard a word from Sora since he'd fled the party Friday night, and even though he was supposedly grounded, it was still disconcerting. Sora had been grounded before and still found a way to contact Riku. _He's just not trying. Maybe he doesn't care anymore. Maybe I fucked it all up for good. _The fact that Sora hated to get up, but had still managed to leave early enough to avoid him today didn't help to ease Riku's fears. _Still… Even if I did lose him forever, I still owe him this much. Now, where is she? _He glanced around, and finally his eyes fell upon the one person he truly did want to see this morning.

Selphie stood in the midst of a cluster of girls just inside of the cafeteria doors. She was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue and murmuring something incoherent. Riku was not surprised to see that most of her friends seemed somewhat disinterested in whatever she was saying. _Only that cousin of Sora's seems to actually give a shit. Pathetic. Well, here we go. _Riku strode over to the cluster of females and rudely elbowed some unknown brunette flunkie out of the way. "Selphie."

Selphie looked up, her eyes widening and then narrowing just as quickly. "Get away from me!" she hissed. Her circle of friends echoed her demand immediately, with only Kairi looking warily at Riku.

Riku rolled his eyes. _I don't have time for this shit. _"Save it." Quickly he reached forward and grabbed a hold of Selphie's arm just above the elbow. "Come on. We need to talk."

"Let go of me, or I'll scream!" Selphie threatened, trying uselessly to wriggle out of Riku's grip. Her friends shifted anxiously, finally interested. Kairi opened her mouth as if to say something, and then closed it.

Riku stared into Selphie's eyes. "Go ahead and scream, Selphie. I'll scream too. I'll scream out the truth about Jake, in front of the entire school. And in the end, we'll see who the other kids can hear better."

Selphie's eyes widened. "What?"

Riku yanked her. "Come on." Without another look at her friends, he dragged Selphie away from the cafeteria, down to the deserted music hallway.

"Where are we going?" Selphie snapped, not actively fighting anymore, but not helping either.

"Somewhere quiet." Riku griped. He pushed open the doors to the stairwell and dragged Selphie behind the stairs. He was immediately disgusted to find two younger students already there, engaged in questionable behavior. "Hey!" he snarled. "Will you two shits stop making out and get lost! We're trying to talk here!"

The guy turned to Riku with irritation, his blonde hair long and unruly. "Hey man… Be cool."

Riku let go of Selphie, and grabbed the kid by his face, steering him towards the doors. "Do I fucking look cool to you? Now, fuck off!" He shoved the kid into the doors, and was gratified to see the look of horror on his face before he scrambled down the hallway. Almost immediately the brown-haired girl he was with ran after him, casting a fearful glance back at Riku and Selphie with wide eyes.

"Fucking freshman." Riku spat, as the doors swung closed. He turned back to Selphie. "Now look…"

"No, you look!" Selphie shot back. "I don't know what you're up to Riku, but whatever it is, it won't work! Now if you don't mind, I'm going to class!" She brushed past him.

Riku grabbed Selphie by both arms and spun her around. _I am not in the mood for this! _He pulled her close enough so that their faces were almost touching. "You listen to me, you spoiled little bitch, and you listen like you've never listened to anybody in your whole useless life." His eyes narrowed. "You know, and I know the real truth about why Jake killed himself."

Selphie averted her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Riku shook her. "Spare me the bullshit! Selphie, you know I was fucking him. You know because that was right around the time we both stopped fucking you."

Selphie jerked in Riku's grip and glared at him hatefully. "You're a liar."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Selphie. I'm not like Jake. I never cared enough about your feelings to lie to you. All you had to do was ask, and I could've told you. Hell, I would've let you watch." Riku sighed. "But Jake was so worried about hurting your feelings, he didn't want you to know. But you knew anyway, didn't you? I know that you did."

Selphie faltered slightly. "So what if I knew?! You're sick! You're both sick! You deserved each other!" She tossed her curls defiantly, as if to show how unconcerned she was with the whole business.

"Is that really how you feel?" Riku questioned. "I doubt it, but if that's how you want to play it, fine. I couldn't care less what happens to Jake's reputation. If he goes from football hero to psychotic fag in the eyes of his peers, it's no problem for me. Everybody already knows that I'll chase anything that moves, but Jake on the other hand has something to lose."

"You can't prove it!" Selphie snapped, realizing what Riku was hinting at doing. "If you try to spread rumors about Jake, I'll just deny everything!"

"Go ahead." Riku offered. "I'll just make my own little banner in Jake's honor. Except, instead of pictures of him in his uniform tossing a football, they'll be pictures of him in his bare skin, tossing my salad."

"You have pictures?!" Selphie screeched, her eyes enlarged to comic proportions. She began to tremble in Riku's arms.

"I have several," Riku lied, knowing that he had no such thing. _Jake may have been crazy, but he wasn't crazy enough to let me take pictures, anyway. _"I'm sure the school newspaper team would like to see my little collection. They'd definitely be blurred when published, but I'm pretty sure the student body would get the gist of them."

Selphie closed her eyes and shuddered, the implications of what Riku was threatening to do making her feel sick to her stomach. After a moment of quiet breathing, she slowly opened her eyes and stared back at him. "Alright… What do you want from me, Riku?"

Riku sighed. "You and I, are going to have to take the fall for this one. Everyone knows that Jake shot himself, Selphie. But only we know why. It's the why that's killing everybody out there right now. It's the why that's going to get the rumors flying, and it's the why that's going to finally uncover the truth. One of us will crack under the pressure, and then Jake's reputation is fucked. We have to conquer that why, Selphie. Before it eats us both alive."

"What are you suggesting?" Selphie asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Riku released his hold on her arms. "We need to convince the school that Jake killed himself because of us. That he was jealous of the two of us, seeing each other."

Selphie recoiled. "You can't be serious."

"What do you mean I can't be serious?!" Riku snapped finally. "I was fucking you long before I even considered Jake, and I know your shitty little cheerleader friends already know about that. Hell, they were probably just waiting for the confession. Fucking vultures."

"I don't see how that will solve anything." Selphie protested, shaking her head.

"It will satisfy everyone's curiosity." Riku explained. "It'll give them someone to blame. You and I will take a lot of shit for it, but Jake will go down in the yearbook as some kind of saint or something. It's the only way. It's the only believable answer to the why. Except for the truth, of course."

Selphie realized that as sick as it sounded, Riku's solution probably was probably the only way to keep Jake's secret from becoming public knowledge. _Riku, you bastard! I hate you for this! And I hate you Jake, for putting me in this position! _She pounded a fist on Riku's chest and let out a strangled cry. "Oh God, what's going to happen to us?" She groaned, her eyes filling with tears.

"Nothing." Riku assured her. "A lot of ragging, maybe some name-calling. Your fake friends will probably disown you, but you're better off without them. Believe me."

"Why the hell should I believe you?! You're like a snake!" Selphie growled, tears streaming freely down her face. "You lie, and twist, and hurt, and mess things up for other people! You don't give a damn about anybody but your-"

"Did you love Jake?" Riku interrupted. "Because if you didn't then I guess you probably don't really care what happens to his reputation. But if this gets out, then instead of being the girl who drove Jake crazy by cheating on him, you're going to be the girl who was too stupid to know that her own boyfriend was gay. The whole damn school is going to throw you a pity party, and they'll be snickering behind your back the whole time."

Selphie sighed deeply, her mind grudgingly accepting the truth of Riku's words. "I'd rather be hated than pitied. If somebody hates me, I can just hate them back. But if someone feels sorry for me…" She trailed off, her body shaking slightly. "I don't want people to pity me."

"And they won't." Riku assured her. "You'll get plenty of hatred, but absolutely no pity if we go through with this." The warning bell for students to head to class sounded, its trill adding a finality to the discussion. "So, what's it going to be?"

"I'll do it." Selphie whispered. "I suppose I owe Jake that much. If I had never started with you, maybe he and I would've been together more. I could've changed him."

Riku seriously doubted if Selphie's increased presence in Jake's life would've helped. _Probably would've had the opposite effect, really. _Still, he knew better than to say otherwise. "Maybe, you're right. We'll never know." He patted her on the shoulder. "Look, we'd better get to class." He headed for the doors. _That was easier than I thought. Maybe she really did love Jake._

"Riku…" Selphie murmured.

Riku turned.

Selphie hauled back and slapped him forcefully across the face. "That was for Jake." she hissed, her palm stinging.

Riku stood motionlessly, glaring at Selphie with barely restrained rage in his eyes. "You get that one for free bitch, one more and-"

"And this is for me." Selphie leaned back and spit in his face.

"The fuck?!" Riku brought his hand to his face and wiped at it. He stared at his wet palm in utter disbelief. _She spit on me! I ought to strangle the slut, right here, right now! _He advanced on Selphie, his fists clenched. "You little bitch…"

Selphie scrambled backwards and lost her footing. "Ah!"

Riku took advantage of Selphie's stumble, wrenching her forward and then shoving her brutally through the doors so hard she hit the tiled floor and slid on her back. Groaning, she sat up, rubbing the back of her head and glaring balefully at him.

The few students now in the music hallway looked up from their lockers in alarm.

_We've already got ourselves an audience. Might as well give them a show. _Riku laughed heartily. "Damn, Selphie! Have some shame!" he called loud enough for everyone to hear clearly. "Your boyfriend isn't even in the ground yet, and you're already trying to give me head! Why don't you shake your silly ass down to the funeral home and see if you can get in his pants real quick before they finish embalming him. Fucking slut." He strode past her without a second glance and walked down the hallway.

The mouths of the students gaped at Riku as he passed, their young eyes reminding him of a ping pong match as they seemed undecided whether to watch him or to watch Selphie climbing to her feet. He absently heard Selphie's cry of rage, and saw a tube of lipstick whiz past his head. _I don't suppose she and I will ever speak to each other again. Some loss. _He heard the trilling of the late bell and groaned loudly. _Great! Now Leonhart will give me detention. Just what I needed. _He reached his classroom and opened the door.

The class was quiet, their attention fixed on the television sitting on a black iron stand in the corner of the room. A photo montage of Jake was being shown on the screen with "Amazing Grace" playing in the background. Riku stared for a moment, taken aback, before he realized he was standing in the doorway. Quickly, he closed the door and made his way to his seat, fully expecting a dirty look from his teacher. When he was safely seated, he was somewhat surprised to see that Squall Leonhart was watching Sora with a concerned expression, almost as if he already knew the whole story. Fearfully, Riku glanced at his estranged boyfriend.

Sora was watching the television presentation with a wistful expression on his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had registered Riku entering the classroom, but he had no desire to look at him. The photo montage pulled at his heart, and he couldn't help feeling that there must've been a better solution to the problem that had brought the three of them together in the bedroom that night. _Thank goodness for Squall, I don't know if I could make it without him. _He could feel Squall's eyes on him, and was greatly pleased by the concern and support he seemed to radiate towards him. _Still, I can't make too much of it. I wouldn't want to get him in trouble. There's already enough going on in the school today as it is. _

Sensing that Sora had no intentions of looking his way, Riku glanced around the room, trying to gauge everyone else's reactions. Everyone was watching the presentation, except for Tidus, who briefly met his eyes before looking away. _I wonder how he feels. Jake was his captain, after all._ Riku sighed. _It's all so fucked up._

After a few minutes, the presentation ended, and Squall turned off the television. With an air of resignation, he leaned against the front of his desk, and addressed his class. "First of all, the administration has requested that I inform all of you that grief counselors will be on hand throughout the week to offer consoling and comfort for those of you who wish to see them. In addition, the funeral and internment will take place tomorrow, starting at nine in the morning in Saint John's Catholic Church, downtown." Squall gave the students a chance to write down the information before proceeding. "In the event that you should choose to attend, or find yourself too distraught to come to school, your absence will be excused, without question."

Riku nodded solemnly. Staying at home tomorrow would probably be a good idea, once Selphie's story took effect. He didn't look forward to people asking him how he dared to show his face after what he did.

Squall continued. "Now, I understand all too well what some of you are going through. I myself, am no stranger to loss. You may find that hard to believe, but it's true. So, I'm not going to bother assigning work today, because I know that some of you just aren't up to it." He crossed his arms. "Instead, I want you to consider this a free period. If you want to put your head down and take a little nap, go ahead. If you want to draw or write something in your notebook, feel free. If you want to cry quietly to yourself, you can do that too. Of course, if you just want to get started on the next chapter, that's fine as well. I will tell you this, however. One, don't expect the rest of your teachers to be as lenient today, and two, we will still have our test. It will be on Wednesday, so that anyone who is attending the funeral will not have to worry about missing it."

Sora had to struggle to keep his eyes from shining with admiration for Squall once he'd finished his speech, and seated himself behind his desk. _He's just so incredible! His sensitivity, his insight, his beauty… _Sora knew he was losing his battle and lowered his eyes to his desk. _With Squall at my side, I just might be able to make it through this. If one good thing could come from this, it's the way that Squall and I have bonded. _He spent the remainder of the class trying vainly to read the textbook, and instead reflecting on his night with Squall.

Riku watched Sora intently, his mind churning with possible things to say. Apologies, excuses, accusations, and proclamations of love-induced stupidity all seemed to have their merits, but somehow he knew that it would prove useless. _I just hope that the deal with Selphie shields Sora from the worst of it. Even if he never talks to me again… _His chest constricted at the thought.

· ·§· ·

From the moment he entered the cafeteria, Sora was painfully aware of the sudden interest in him. Everywhere his eyes landed, people avoided his stare, whispering amongst themselves. He felt as though he were adrift, floating aimlessly towards the table he shared with his friends. Wakka met his eyes. "Hey."

Sora felt a little better as he sat down. "Hey Wakka."

"How's it going, ya?" Wakka asked softly. He reached across the table and put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

Sora smiled weakly, glad for the comfort. "Not too bad. I'm just feeling a little anxious. Everyone keeps looking at me, like they know."

"They don't know jack shit." Tidus interrupted, sitting down. He clapped a hand on Sora's other shoulder. "Me and Wakka know everything, but we wouldn't tell anybody else. Jake may have been an asshole sometimes, but he deserves to keep his pride."

Wakka sighed. "You'd better prepare yourself, ya. Here comes Riku." He removed his hand from Sora's shoulder and signaled for Tidus to do the same. Tidus rolled his eyes, but complied.

If Sora thought the cafeteria had been interested in him, it was nothing compared to the attention that Riku received. The somber mood vanished, and the place seemed to come alive with conversation, all eyes following Riku's progress. Sora felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach as Riku made his way to the table.

"Hey." Riku said quietly.

Wakka acknowledged him with a curt nod. Tidus waved. Sora drew in a little on himself and concentrated on his lunch.

Riku sat down beside his boyfriend with a sigh. "You know guys, I already feel bad enough without my best friends giving me the silent treatment.

"No one's giving you the silent treatment, ya." Wakka replied, stirring his soup.

"Well, you're not saying anything!" Riku shot back, irritated and hurt at the cold reception he was getting.

"What the hell do you want us to say?" Tidus snapped. "That thanks to you, we're going to get our asses crushed in our own homecoming game?"

Both Wakka and Sora groaned at the sheer inappropriateness of Tidus' remark.

"Let's just drop it." Sora suggested softly, after a few awkward moments of silence. "It's all over now. We have to go on."

Riku put a hand to his head. "I know, I know. I just… I don't want to lose you guys. Any of you. You're the only real friends I have."

"You won't." Wakka responded. "You might not deserve to keep us, ya, but you're not going to lose us either. Not this time, anyway." Grudgingly, he reached across and patted Riku on the shoulder.

Tidus followed suit, cooing. "You going to be okay now, little baby? You need mommy to come and change your diapers, too?" He lovingly patted Riku's other shoulder.

Riku seized Tidus' hand and squeezed. "Do that again, and you'll pull back a stump, Goldilocks."

Sora found his mind fading away from the conversation, as the volume of the cafeteria seemed to amplify in response to Riku's every shift in movement. Everyone was in a fluster of activity, and he kept inadvertently meeting eyes that were looking in his direction. People that he had never really seen before were staring boldly, their eyes skeptical and suspicious. _None of this matters. I still have my friends, but all the whispering_… _The stares. _Fragments of discussion drifted within his earshot. _They're saying Jake's name… Riku's name… my name…_ Sora felt dizzy for a moment, and placed a hand on the table to steady himself. _I can't take it._

"Sora? What's wrong, ya?" asked Wakka, his eyes concerned. He had noticed Sora looking as though he were about to fall over in the midst of Riku and Tidus' squabble.

"Everything." Sora blurted out, his voice shaky. "This. Me. Him. Them." He pointed directly at the table where the cheerleaders were sitting.

The girls didn't bother to avert their eyes, instead raising their voices now that they had been pointed out. Only Kairi had the good grace to look ashamed.

_What does she have to be ashamed of anyway?! _Sora groaned. "See! It's too much. It's just too much right now!"

Riku reached for Sora, wincing when he recoiled at his touch. "Sora, you've got to calm down. It's going to be fine."

"I thought I was ready for this, but I'm not." Sora stammered, rising to his feet. "I have to go."

Riku jumped up, and took hold of Sora's arm. "Look. You have to relax! Everything is going to be okay. I've got it under control. Listen…"

Just then, a loud slap rang out. All heads turned to see Selphie holding her cheek. She was fleeing the cafeteria, while the other cheerleaders threw food and called insults after her. Kairi gathered her books quickly, and immediately ran out after her friend.

Riku felt a rush of relief. _Thank God. I was afraid she'd chickened out on me. If only Kairi doesn't fuck it up for us. _"Now Sora…"

"What did you do?!" Sora shouted. "What now? Huh?" Sora wrenched his arm away from Riku and tore across the room. He could hear people talking, not just whispering anymore, but outright shouting about them. He left the cafeteria and ran madly down the hallway. _Why do I always go to him with my troubles? He must think I'm so weak! _Breathless, he stopped in front of his English classroom door and yanked it open so hard it hit the wall.

Squall looked up as the door to the classroom slammed open. "What the hell?!" He was stunned to see Sora run into the room, his face wet with tears. "Sora, what's wrong?" _Leonhart you jackass, it's probably because he's just now realizing what you did to him that night._

"I can't take this!" Sora blurted out, his eyes wild. He wrung his hands frantically as he paced in front of the door.

Quickly, Squall was on his feet. He closed the door and ushered Sora over to his usual seat. Gently he pushed down on his shoulders until he sat. "Take what?"

Sora looked up at Squall and shook his head. "The staring! Everybody is always staring at me! And whispering!" He ran his hands through his hair, savagely yanking at it. "They know, Squall! They know!" His breath hitched. "Somehow they must've found out! They know that I had something to do with what happened to Jake! They think he killed himself because of me! I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong!"

Squall pulled Sora to him. "Shh." He felt Sora's arms go around him and sighed with relief. _He doesn't hate me yet. _"It's okay."

"But Squall! They know!" Sora buried his face in Squall's shirt. "And I can't help feeling like it was my fault…"

"Alright, that's enough." Squall interrupted. "Just shut the hell up."

Sora looked up, stunned. "But Squall…"

"I mean it." Squall said firmly. "I don't want to hear that kind of talk from you." He lifted Sora's chin in his hand. "You listen to me, and you listen well. What happened to Jake was not your fault. It wasn't even Riku's fault, no matter what role he played. The only one who killed Jake was Jake. That's all there is to it." He caught and held Sora's eyes with his own, refusing to let go. "Bad things happen in life, but it's not always someone's fault. Whose fault was it that Seifer and Rinoa died? Was it my fault for arguing with Seifer? Was it Seifer's fault for speeding in the rain? Was it Rinoa's fault for making us late?"

Sora shook his head slowly. "No… How could any of you have known that would happen? None of you meant for it to happen!"

The simple truth in Sora's words sank in, and Squall felt as though he had just passed through a crucial checkpoint in his life. _All this time, I **had** been blaming myself, blaming Seifer, blaming Rinoa. I hated all of us for what happened, all this time. I hated them for dying, and I hated myself for living. That's why I was always having nightmares… _He swallowed. _And I was so in love with my guilt, with my grief that I could never let go. I was too busy playing the stoic martyr. _

"Squall?" questioned Sora, forgetting his own problem in his concern for Squall.

Squall blinked. _It took Sora to make me see that. He's changing me in so many ways. _"Sora… I want you to say it. Say it wasn't your fault."

Sora's eyes lowered. "It wasn't my fault." he mumbled.

Squall raised Sora's chin again. "Not good enough. You look me in the eyes, goddammit. And you say it with some fucking conviction. It's not your fault. **Believe** it."

Sora stared at Squall in surprise for a long moment. _He's so serious. _"It's not my fault." he offered.

"Again." Squall ordered.

"It's not my fault." Sora said, a little more firmly.

"Isn't it? Because I don't quite think you believe it." Squall taunted, deliberately malicious.

"It's not my fault." Sora gritted out, his eyes flashing.

"Even though you were there? Even though Jake was jealous of you? Even though you stole Riku's affections from him?" Squall goaded viciously.

"It's not my fault!" Sora shouted, and meant it.

Squall stared back at him, stunned. _He is so much stronger than I was. _"Sora…"

Sora jumped to his feet and hugged Squall fiercely. "Squall…" He planted a firm kiss on his lips. "Thank you." he whispered.

Squall hugged him back, his heart surging with some forceful emotion that he couldn't identify. "No… thank **you**." _You chased my nightmares away. For good, I think. _He returned Sora's kiss with desperate intensity, feeling the lust rise up within him. _This is not the place. _Nonetheless, he found his lips drawn to Sora's throat, his hands holding onto him as though he owned him.

Sora proved to be the more sensible of the pair. He pulled away gently. "Squall, not here. You could get in trouble."

Squall let him go, his hormones protesting furiously. "I know, but… Sora, I can't help it. I want you." _It's been three whole days._

Sora blushed, immensely pleased. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Squall sighed. "Well, you have. And you'll hear it a million times over, until you come back." He forced himself to retreat to his own desk, putting distance between them. "I missed you, you know."

Sora blushed again. "I missed you too… It's not like I want to stay away." He groaned. "But my mom, she's so worried about me now, it's impossible to get out. I'm grounded for a whole month! And then there's Riku to think about."

At the mention of Sora's rightful boyfriend, Squall involuntarily pounded his fist down onto his desk. "Oh, for fuck's sake!"

Sora stared at him, startled. "What's your problem?"

"Sorry." Squall amended grudgingly. "I understand, really I do. And I don't mean to sound so demanding. It's just, I don't want what happened between us to be a one-time thing."

"Neither do I." agreed Sora. "I gave you my virginity, after all. I just need a little time to collect myself. And then I'll come back. I promise."

"I know you will." Squall admitted. "I'm just being impatient." He glanced at the clock. "You'd better get back to the cafeteria before that bell rings. Imagine what types of rumors might start flying around if the students think you're having some sort of affair with me." he teased. "Think of all the looks and whispers you'd be getting then."

Sora paled. "That would not be cool at all."

Squall smirked. "Teacher's pet, indeed."

"I'm glad you think it's so funny." Sora shot back, still pale. "Since you'd get fired for sure, and probably go to jail."

Squall crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "So? I'll let you in on a little secret, Sora. This job isn't all that hot anyway, and the pay is inhumane. As for jail, it's free room and board, cable television, a gym, and best of all, you don't have to work or pay taxes." He yawned. "So, what's your point?"

"Oooh…" Sora scowled. "You're terrible. Really." He walked around the side of the desk and stood there, glowering at Squall.

"Really?" Squall teased. "I mean, really really?"

Sora suddenly smirked. _I'll fix him, alright. _Without giving himself time to chicken out, he quickly climbed onto Squall's lap, straddling him. Spurred on by Squall's panicked expression, he leaned forward, until his hands were resting on Squall's chest, and their lips were almost touching. He smirked again. "Really."

Squall felt his pulse launch upwards. _This little punk… _For a moment he simply sat there and stared back into Sora's dangerously flirtatious blue eyes. Then for some reason, Sora shifted. It was an accident to be sure, but Squall's hormones quite frankly didn't give a damn. Knowing that this was not the time, and sure as hell not the place, Squall moved.

Sora felt the hard surface of the desk on his back, instants before Squall rose over him, looking down at him with unmistakable hunger. _Uh oh. _

Squall descended on Sora, kissing him sinfully as he settled his hips between Sora's splayed legs, pinning him to the large desk. _There is no time! I know, I know! But fuck it. _He caressed Sora's skin beneath his shirt, his hands reacquainting themselves with it's delightfully smooth texture.

Sora arched beneath Squall, his own body responding. His hips rolled sensuously and he held Squall to him, taking his kisses and offering his own. _I missed him too, and if he wants me here, now, on this desk, he can have me._ He drew his short nails down Squall's back, vaguely remembering having it done to him at a time that seemed so long ago.

Squall growled and ground his hips against Sora, their tongues deftly entwined. He lowered his hands to Sora's buttocks, kneading them and pulling their bodies together even tighter. _Lord help me… if something doesn't stop me… I am going to take him right here, right now._

Sora's clothed erection was grinding against Squall's in a way that stamped out all coherent thought. He swiped blindly at the desk, feeling like he would just die if he couldn't hold on. A box of paperclips went flying across the room and broke, scattering the metallic objects everywhere. Sora gave up on the desk, and held onto the back of Squall's neck with one hand, while he clawed at his back with the other one.

Squall felt Sora's legs lock around his waist and shuddered. He knew that in a few more moments, zippers would be coming down, bare skin would get involved, and scandal would ensue. Nonetheless, this new certainty didn't stop him from continuing to move against Sora, and dimly he offered a plaintive mental cry for divine intervention. _Something… Anything… Please stop me, because I can't stop myself anymore…_

The bell rang, its sound painfully shrill to their over heightened senses. It seemed almost to say "Alright, now break it up, you two. Break it up!"

_Thank you! _Squall fell back into his chair, breathing heavily. _Shit… _His back stung from where Sora had scratched him, and he remembered the very first dream he'd had about him. _I lose control so easily when it comes to him._ He looked over at Sora, who had sat up on the desk, a bewildered expression on his face, one hand tentatively touching his lips. Squall felt a surge of pride. _Serves him right. _"That's what you get for sitting on people's laps."

Sora blinked, and then seemed to return to his senses. "Shut up." he panted, sticking out his tongue. Squall's raised eyebrow caused him to close his mouth in a hurry. "Man… I'd better get out of here." He eased down off of the desk and gathered his book bag, his legs shaky. _Oh wow._

"That's right." Squall affirmed. "Hit the bricks. Get out there and show the bastards you aren't afraid of their rumor mill." He smiled warmly, resisting the urge to run from the school building with Sora slung over his shoulder. "And when you leave this room, I want you to hold your head high, and remember what you yelled at me. Don't forget it, okay?"

Sora made his way to the door and then looked back over his shoulder. "I won't. Thank you." He opened the door and moved out into the hall, glad to see that only a few students were roaming just yet.

Squall stared after him, pleased. _He's going to be okay. He really is. _He sighed and tried his best to ignore the racing of his blood. _But as for me, I don't know. _For the first time his eyes fell on the paperclips. "Aww shit…"

Sora reached his locker and laid his head against it, the cool surface inviting to his heated skin. _Squall… we almost did it just now… on his desk. _The thought struck him as hilarious and he laughed, despite the war still raging in his blood.

"Sora, there you are." said Riku, with obvious relief.

Sora turned slightly to see his boyfriend approaching, concern in his eyes. He turned back to his locker. _I can't let him see me like this! How can I explain it?! _"Yeah, I'm here." he murmured. "Sorry for running out like that, but I couldn't take all of the whispering and the stares."

Riku laid his head on Sora's back and put his arms around his waist. "I understand. But, you can't run away from it. Don't you think it bothers me too?"

"I didn't think anything bothered you." Sora confessed, relaxing slightly in Riku's embrace. He laid his face against the locker again and let the tension melt out of his body. He was conscious of people moving and talking all around him, but he kept his eyes closed and eventually the sounds of footsteps faded away. The late bell rang, divulging the reason for the sudden quiet. "You're going to be late." he warned.

"Like I give a fuck." Riku replied, his words muffled by Sora's shirt. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll drop clean out of school."

Sora sighed and lifted his head. _What are we doing? _Slowly he turned around and met Riku's eyes. "Riku…"

"Don't!" Riku pleaded. "Don't say it! Whatever it is you were going to say, just stop!" _You can't leave me now, Sora! I need you. I love you… I'd just die if you left me now…_

Sora turned away and began to gather his books. "Actually, I was going to say that I should be getting to class now." _I refuse to let myself feel guilty over Squall after what happened with Jake. Riku and I… _He closed his locker and picked up his book bag. "That's all."

"I'll walk you." Riku offered. _At least he's talking to me! That means there's hope right? He'll forgive me someday. We can still be together. _

Sora shrugged. "If you want." _Sooner or later, I'm going to have to come to terms with how I feel about Riku… and Squall._ He shot a sideways glance at his English classroom as they passed.

Squall had some poor kid picking up all of the paperclips, a sour expression on his face.

Sora burst into laughter before he could catch himself.

"What?" asked Riku. _Dear God, please don't let him be losing his mind. _

Sora shook his head, quickly getting his snickering under control. "Nothing. Just a private joke."

"You never used to keep things private from me." Riku grumbled.

_Things change. _"Well, it's not really important anyway." Sora lied. "I'll see you in class, okay?" Without waiting for Riku's response, he hurried off to his next class, reflecting on what Squall had told him. _It's not my fault…_

By the end of the day he found himself believing it. Strangely enough, he didn't have to think about it much. All of the strange looks from earlier seemed to have evaporated completely. There were still whisperings, but he didn't hear his name mentioned anymore.

Riku, on the other hand was still a popular topic of discussion. If the constant dropping of his name bothered him at all, he didn't show it. He had dozed throughout their entire Physics lecture, refusing to allow the scandal to deter him from his normal behavior.

Walking home with his boyfriend, Riku couldn't help being unnerved by Sora's silence. He kept stealing glances at him, wishing he could read his thoughts. _What is he thinking about?_

Sora kept looking around as he walked, his senses attuned to everything around him. _I take this for granted. Just being able to walk home from school every day._ He sighed. _It's so simple, but it's something Jake can't do anymore…_

"Sora?" Riku questioned, wondering if he should just stay silent.

Sora turned to look at his companion. "Yeah?"

Riku shrugged. "What are you thinking about?"

Sora looked upward. "Just about being alive and stuff. And how lucky we are to be alive."

Riku let the words sink in, and felt his mood spiraling out of control. _Oh fuck…_

Sora heard the choked sob and stopped mid-step, his eyebrows raising. _Did that just come from Riku?_ He turned to look at his friend.

Riku had both hands clapped over his face, his shoulders shaking. Tears were leaking out from between his fingers while he muffled his sounds of pain into his damp palms. _Oh fuck… ohfuckohfuckohfuck…_

Alarmed, Sora quickly went to him. _I've never seen him break down and cry before! _He put a hand on his shoulder. "Riku?! What's the matter?"

Riku shook his head fiercely, still not removing his hands. "Sora…" He sobbed, his words muffled by his palms. "You're… the only one who can make me feel this… fucking low!" he ground out, each word sounding as though it had been wrenched from him.

"Oh Riku…" Sora wrapped his arms around his friend, and Riku clutched at him gratefully. "I wasn't trying to make you feel low."

"I know!" Riku choked, pulling back a bit. "And that's what makes it so bad." He dropped his eyes. "I didn't think about it much, you know? I tried to block it out, act like it never really happened. But I knew. I knew all the while that Jake was never coming back and I'm the reason why." He swiped angrily at his tearstained face. "You brought that all home to me and made it sink in."

Sora rubbed Riku's back. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Riku snapped. "You'll only make it worse." He lowered his eyes again. "Besides, it's not your fault. I'm the one who should be sorry. And I am. I am so sorry, Sora." He sighed weakly, looking every bit the frightened adolescent that he tried so hard not to be. "If I could take it all back, I would. I swear I would."

_Would you really? _Sora thought, and then immediately felt terrible. "I know you would, Riku."

"Can you ever forgive me?" Riku asked, the pleading in his voice impossible to hide.

"I already have." Sora assured him. _I have my own crimes to be forgiven for, after all. _

Riku smiled weakly. "I'm glad." Hesitantly, he leaned forward slightly and kissed Sora on the lips. It was brief, but sweet.

Sora returned the kiss before Riku pulled away, his mind now churning with his own thoughts. _All this time, I just assumed Riku was completely unfazed. I never considered that Jake's death might be eating away at him too. It was pretty selfish of me…_ He absently licked his lips, tasting the salt of Riku's tears.

Riku gave his hand a light squeeze, and they started walking again. "So, ma tells me you're grounded for a month." he offered, a few minutes later.

Sora groaned. "Don't remind me! I can't even have dessert! No ice cream! No cookies!"

Riku snickered. "Sucks to be you."

"What about you?" Sora asked. "How long are you in for?"

Riku looked away. "Well, they didn't punish me, actually. I guess they thought being taken to the station was punishment enough. Plus ma says that grounding you is as good as grounding me, since I won't get to talk to you."

"Oh." Sora replied, disappointed. "That's so not fair. I'm always getting punished instead of you. Just like when I got detention with Squa-," _Oh shit! _"I mean Mr. Leonhart." He corrected, his face flaming.

"Hey hey! What was that I just heard?" Riku teased. "You and Leonhart on a first name basis now?" He elbowed Sora in the side. "Just what went on in that week-long detention session of yours?"

Sora fought vainly to keep the blush out of his cheeks. "Nothing, Riku! I did my homework, that's all. He ignored me, and I ignored him." He sincerely hoped that Riku couldn't hear his heart pounding. _If he ever found out… _

Riku patted Sora on the back. "Chill out, Sora. I'm just fucking with you." He lowered his voice confidentially. "Although, I do know, Leonhart is fucking hot, and I would so smash him, if I wasn't with you. It's cool that you feel the same way." He grinned. "Just don't ever forget that you belong to me now."

Sora forced himself to smile back. "How could I?" _Maybe Squall could forget, but I can't. Sooner or later I'm going to have to deal with all of this. I just hope I know what to do when the time comes._ His sense of relief at seeing his house directly ahead was somewhat tainted by his apprehension that Riku was going to follow him right up to the door.

Riku sensed Sora's unease, and stopped at the sidewalk. _He really doesn't want to be with me right now._ "So, I guess I'll see you in school on Wednesday."

"You're not coming tomorrow?" Sora blinked. _Jake's funeral. _"Oh… right."

Riku shook his head. "No way." He ran a hand through his hair and kicked at the ground. "I'm not that much of a bastard to be strolling around the school while Jake is getting… you know."

"Yeah, I know." Sora sighed. _I wonder if anyone will go to school._

"Later." Riku turned and walked off.

Sora watched him for a moment. _He's dealing with this in his own way, I guess. I have Squall to help me through it, but I'm supposed to help him through it. _Once his friend was gone, he walked up to his door and inserted the key. _But I just can't help him right now. You'll have to deal with it on your own, Riku._

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**Notes:** It's been a long time.

Riku: We shouldn't a left you!

Tidus: Without a dope beat to step to!

Riku: (dances) Step to! Step to! Step to! Step-step to! Pikky-pikky-pikky…

-Good grief! (clobbers Riku with the fist of doom)

Tidus: Um…

-You want some of this?!

Tidus: Please no!

-That's what I thought. Anyway, it's been a while.

Riku: (sings) Since I could, hold my head up high. It's been a while, since I first saw you…

-(steps on his head) Like I was saying…. Almost as long as the last time since I updated. A lot can happen in a year. I've left two jobs, graduated from one college, and enrolled full-time in a different one, moved into a townhouse away from home, and to top it all off, my cat died right before school started. I'm still reeling from that one, I'm not gonna lie to you.

Tidus: (pats) There, there. (gropes)

-(slaps Tidus) So yeah, I've definitely been through some changes. And so have all of you, I'm sure. I know you guys have school, work, extracurricular activities, hobbies, bank robberies, and all kinds of exciting, painful, day-to-day events taking place at the same time. That's why I never cease to be amazed by the reviews, emails, instant messages, and just general nods of acknowledgement from everyone who has ever read this story. I will never take it for granted, because there are so many other things you could be doing! Banks just don't rob themselves, you know.

Riku: What the hell are you talking about?!

-And the fact that someone cared enough to put down the mask and pistol long enough to read even a single chapter of this story is enough to make my whole damn year. What I mean to say, is thanks for the support. I love you guys.

Tidus: And we love you too.

Riku: Speak for yourself.

-You'd better get that attitude in check, buddy. You're already teetering on the brink of the Most Hated list from what I hear. You need all the love you can get.

Riku: Please tell me that I have a chance for self-redemption!

-I guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out.


	19. Picking Up the Pieces

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I repeat, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I held out hope that I might somehow come to own it, through some sort of holiday miracle, but alas, no. You let me down big time, Santa. So next year, I'm switching salt with sugar in the cookie recipe.

**Author's Note:** I've been really busting my ass on this chapter, when I was supposed to be studying for finals. Squall x Sora citrus is so much more rewarding than a 4.0. Not like I was getting a 4.0 anyway, because my stupid school uses the damn +/- system, the pricks.

**Warning: **Beware of yaoi, profanity, drug use, blood, violence, sex with a minor, nonconsensual sex, character death, OOC-ness, etc and many other reasons why my parents will never see this story. Never.

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"We won, you know."

Sora looked up from his homework. "Huh?" He had been so lost in his equations, he hadn't realized his cousin was even in the house.

Kairi stepped further into the room. "We won. Homecoming." She shrugged. "I just thought you might like to know."

"Oh…" Sora nodded slowly. "That makes sense."

"What did you think I meant?" Kairi asked. "The lottery? Publisher's Clearing House?"

Sora shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention." He finally noticed the bright red and yellow pennant flag Kairi was holding in her hands. "My mind was somewhere else."

"I'll say." Kairi peered at his notes. "Physics… yuck." She straightened up. "I'll let you get back to your work."

Sora sat up, suddenly wanting some company. "No, that's okay. I needed a break." He closed the book, and moved his notes to make room for her. "Why don't you sit down and tell me about the game?"

Kairi sat down on the bed. "Well, we pretty much crushed Midgar High. I think they must've felt sorry for us because of what happened to Jake. Plus, it would've been rude to beat us at our own homecoming game. But maybe I'm wrong." She considered. "I mean, your friends were great. Especially… Wakka? That's his name, right?"

Sora nodded.

"Yeah, he really helped the team out. Everyone was totally psyched up, too. There was so much yelling and school spirit." Kairi continued. "We might even go to state championships or something. But I don't really know a lot about football." She sighed. "But the cheerleaders…" She shook her head. "They were awful, Sora! They were bickering on the sidelines about what cheers to do next, and then, when they were doing the pyramid, Donna dropped LeBlanc, and she broke her leg! They had to call an ambulance and take her off the field on a stretcher. It was the worst thing I've ever seen… LeBlanc kept screaming that Donna did it on purpose while the paramedics took her away."

"Are you serious?" Sora asked in disbelief. "I can't believe Selphie would let something like that happen."

Kairi blinked. "You mean, you didn't know?"

"Know what?" Sora asked, getting a sinking feeling in his gut. _Oh God, what now?_

"They made Selphie quit the squad." Kairi looked at him strangely. "I thought for sure you would've known."

Sora gaped. _But she was the captain… _"Why did they do that?"

"Because of what she said." Kairi answered quietly. "She told everyone that Jake killed himself because she was cheating on him with Riku, and he couldn't handle it."

_So that's what that scene in the cafeteria was about! _Sora realized. _I'll bet Riku put her up to it… God Riku, every time I start to feel a little sorry for you, you just mess it all up again!_

Kairi seemed to read his thoughts. "It was last week, in the cafeteria. After she ran out, I followed her and made her tell me the truth. I already knew the real story from when you told me." Her eyes narrowed. "I wanted to punch Riku's lights out. But Selphie made me promise not to tell anyone, so I won't." She shrugged sadly. "I wish I had, though. But it doesn't matter now. She won't talk to anyone. She just keeps to herself, and I never see her in class anymore." She sighed. "I'm really worried about her, Sora. But she won't even look at me."

Sora squeezed Kairi's shoulder. "Maybe she'll talk to me, since we were both there when it happened. If I see her, I'll try. I'll tell her how worried you are."

Kairi nodded. "That would be nice." She shot him a glance. "How have you been feeling these days?"

"I'm more upset that I can't have sweets than anything." Sora answered honestly.

Kairi giggled. "That _was_ pretty harsh of Aunt Sonja."

"I know." Sora sighed. "But other than that. I'm doing okay. I've been able to cope pretty well." _Thanks to Squall. _

Sora had been spending half of his lunches in the English classroom with his teacher, much to Riku's dismay. They spent the time talking amicably about their lives, each delicately avoiding the topic of their night together. It was all Sora could do to pretend not to notice Squall's half-starved glances, let alone his less than subtle invitations to further mayhem. Sora was terrified of getting caught in a compromising position, and instead contented himself with simply being in Squall's presence, despite his tormented hormones.

Kairi stood up, sensing that her cousin was retreating back into his thoughts. "Well, I'm going to go get some ice cream."

Sora's face fell. _I remember ice cream. It was my favorite._

"Oh sorry! I forgot." Kairi giggled, waving her hands apologetically. "But I guess I could bring you some too." She winked. "If Aunt Sonja asks, I'll just tell her that I was really hungry and ate a lot of it."

"Would you really?" Sora asked hopefully. "That would be great!"

"Sure." Kairi replied. "Just a little bit though, or she'll never believe it. And you have to be quiet about it." She left the room, leaving her pennant on his bed.

Sora picked it up, his fingers tracing over it's fuzzy red surface. _Maybe I'll go to a game once I get off punishment. This is my last year here, after all. It could be fun to see Wakka and Tidus in action. _He laid back on the bed, still holding the pennant. _It's all going by so fast this year. All that's really left is winter break, then spring break, then prom and graduation. Then I guess I'll get a summer job somewhere and save up to buy a car. I'll go to college next fall, and then… Then what? I'm going to study medicine, so I suppose I'll eventually go to med school. _He tried not to ask himself the question that was burning in his mind, absently rolling the flag up into a soft fabric tube.

"Hey!" Kairi cried. "Don't do that, you dummy! You'll ruin it."

Sora dropped the pennant, startled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to." He sat up, eyeing the tan and white bowls in his cousin's hands. "That was quick."

Kairi closed the door to his room. "Duh. I have to be, unless you want to get busted. Aunt Sonja's reading in her room with the door closed, but I still don't want to take any chances. I like you Sora, but not enough to serve a double duty grounding with you." She stuck out her tongue. "You're cool, but not that cool."

"Right back at you, Red Haired She Devil." Sora teased, taking one of the bowls from her. The simple silver spoon sticking out of the ice cream never seemed so beautiful. He took a bite and sighed with joy. _Double Fudge Brownie! Wonderful…_

Kairi laughed at her cousin's joyful expression. "You've only been on punishment for like two weeks! You act like you've been stranded on a desert island or something."

Sora grunted and continued eating. _So good…_

Kairi giggled and shook her head. "What are you going to do when your grounding is over?"

"Eat more ice cream." Sora answered without hesitation. "Maybe some cookies. Or a cake. Haven't decided yet." He took another bite. "Although, if I go to Maggie Moo's I can have all three, in a great big bowl. With a waffle cone."

"You'd better watch it." Kairi wagged her finger at him. "Or you'll get fat."

"Nah." Sora replied. "I once ate four grilled cheese sandwiches at one time. You should've seen the look on his face." He blanched. _Aww no…_

Kairi's eyes lit up. "Whose face?

_Damn, damn, damn… _Sora shoveled in a huge spoonful of ice cream. "Mmfph mmr. Mmbdy."

Kairi set her bowl down and peered at him intently. "No way, Sora! This is not a Twix commercial. You can't just chew this one over. Whose face? Riku's?" She grinned. "No, it couldn't be Riku's, or you wouldn't be making such a big deal out of it."

Sora mentally cursed his cousin's powers of perception. "Forget it. It's nothing."

"Ah! Is it that guy?" Kairi asked.

"What guy?" asked Sora, his stomach clenching. _Why does she know so much?!_

Kairi paused, trying to remember. "Um, it was a while ago… The guy with the dark hair? The one that you were having the fight with or whatever. I think you spent a whole Saturday with him once."

"Geez, you don't forget anything, do you?" Sora groaned, covering his face.

Kairi laughed. "Are you kidding? I still remember the time you put a sand crab down the back of my sundress when I was five!" She sniffed. "It traumatized me for life, you know."

"Yeah, you seem pretty traumatized." Sora teased.

Kairi shook her fist at him. "I'll give you some trauma, if you don't come clean with me. Is it the same guy? Are you two together now or what?"

Sora sighed, putting his now empty bowl on the bed. "Fine. Yes, it was that guy. I was hanging out with him, and we had lunch. I ate four sandwiches, and he was horrified. That's all."

"Sure…" Kairi raised an auburn eyebrow. "No seriously, what's going on between you guys? Are you a couple?" She scooted closer. "Does Riku know about him?"

Sora paled. "Are you nuts? He'd… I don't even know what he would do if he ever found out!" _Probably go completely postal. Better not to think about it. _"No, Riku doesn't know." _Not yet, anyway._

Kairi nodded. "So… Tell me about this guy. What's he like? Is he cute?"

_Well, she already knows too much anyway. I'll just have to be careful. _Sora took a breath. "He's very nice. Very quiet, and laid back, but he has a great sense of humor. He's really mature and thoughtful… Kind of anti-social, though. He's been helping me a lot to get through this whole thing with Jake. And yes, he's really, really, _really_ cute." _Especially when he's shirtless._

Kairi squealed with excitement, then remembered herself. "Shhh!"

"Why are you shushing me? You're the one who squealed!" Sora complained.

Kairi grabbed the bowls. "Quiet, or you'll get us caught! I'll be right back." She darted out of the room.

Sora sighed. _Girls are so weird sometimes._

Kairi returned in a few minutes, rubbing her temples. "Okay, I'm back." She closed the door.

"What's wrong with your head?" Sora asked.

"Brain freeze. I ate my ice cream on the way down the stairs really fast, so Aunt Sonya wouldn't ask me any questions." Kairi plopped herself down on the edge of the bed. "Well, go on."

Sora considered. _I'm not about to tell her that I already had sex with him. I don't want anybody to know that yet. _"Uh, there's not really much else to say. He just makes me really happy, and I feel safe with him."

Kairi nodded. "Okay. Dump Riku, and go out with this guy instead."

Sora choked. "What?" _Is she serious? _"You've got to be kidding! There's no way I can do that!"

"Why not? It seems simple to me. He makes you happy, right?" Kairi asked, tilting her head to the side. "You said so yourself. Does Riku make you happy?"

"Riku and I have plenty of fun together." Sora defended. _I can't believe I'm even having this discussion!_

"That's not the same thing." Kairi explained, shaking her head. "How about this, does Riku make you feel safe? Huh?"

Sora cringed. _I guess that personal safety is becoming somewhat of a concern when it comes to Riku. But then that's not entirely fair._ "Well, no…"

"Then it's simple. Dump Riku, and stick with this new guy. You'll be better off. Trust me." Kairi replied matter-of-factly.

"It's not that simple." Sora sighed. "Riku and I have a history together." _She couldn't even begin to understand. You can't just cut someone off like that._

"Right. But do you have a future?" Kairi asked. "I mean, the past is nice and all, but the future is what matters the most." She shrugged. "If you don't have that to look forward to, then what's the point really?"

Sora blinked. _I never thought of it that way. Still… _"Well Riku and I may not have a future together, but then I might not have one with the other guy either. Who knows?"

"You'll never know, unless you try." Kairi replied. She glanced at her watch. "Sheesh! It's getting late. You're going to keep me up all night!"

"_I'm_ keeping _you_ awake?" Sora questioned incredulously.

Kairi retrieved her pennant. "Yes, you are. Anyway, remember what I said. And if you can get Selphie to talk to you, let her know that I'm still her friend, and I'm really worried about her. Okay?"

"I will." Sora agreed.

"Thanks." Kairi smiled. "Goodnight."

"Night." Sora replied. He watched his cousin leave, his mind turning. He glanced at his homework. _Great, now my head is all scrambled. _He pushed his books to the side and laid back on his bed, one arm over his face. _Dump Riku, huh? I don't think that would go over too well. But… A future with Squall… That could be nice._

· ·§· ·

"You're not any damn help, you know that?" Cloud snapped.

"Huh?" Squall blinked, finally startled out of his reverie. He looked over to find his friend scowling at him from the kitchen. The utter absence of joy on his normally cheerful face was extremely sobering. Squall sat up on the sofa, and made a concentrated effort to remember exactly what was so damn important. _Let's see… He was in the kitchen, eating my food, and then he said something. I said something, and now he's giving me the look of death._

"You weren't listening to a single thing I said, were you?" Cloud accused, his eyes livid.

_I sort of had other things on my mind, like how I probably belong in the Guinness Book of World Records for most consecutive nights of beating off due to having an underage lover. _Squall sighed. "In all honesty, no." He raised a hand at Cloud's exasperated groan. "Please don't pitch a fit, Strife. Just run it by me again, and I promise I'll at least try to pay attention this time."

Cloud groaned again and ran both hands through his unruly hair. "I said, I'm thinking about proposing."

"Proposing what?" Squall asked, confused. _Wait, what the hell did I miss?_

"Marriage, you big dumbass!" Cloud yelled. "What did you think?! A fucking business merger?!"

Squall bristled. "Hey, don't start getting all pissy with me, you jittery bastard. Why don't you quit pacing a hole in my floor, sit down, and then we can talk about this like rational adults."

Cloud rubbed his eyes. "My bad, man. I didn't mean to yell at you. But I don't feel very rational…" He sat down reluctantly next to Squall. "I haven't felt rational for a while now. I've been pretty much going through the motions, but inside… I just don't know what to feel anymore."

"Well, what happened to make you want to propose so suddenly?" Squall raised an eyebrow. "Did she give you an ultimatum?" _Women…_

"Of course not." Cloud mumbled. "She would never do that. That would've made this a lot easier."

Squall nodded. _If you say so. _"Ah, alright… Did you two finally have sex?" _Sex changes everything, after all. _"You didn't… knock her up, did you?"

Cloud flushed. "No! Nothing like that. Aerith's not that kind of girl!"

Squall sighed. _Then I'm all out of ideas, and you're not giving me much to work with here. _"Well then, what happened to upset you like this?"

"Nothing." Cloud replied, sounding every bit as confused as he looked. "Nothing at all! She went on her retreat, and then she came back. Nothing changed. We've been doing the same things. We still go to the movies, and go bowling, and feed the birds in the park and stuff. Only, it all feels different to me." He looked away. "And, I've been thinking..."

"That was your first mistake, right there." Squall quipped, unable to resist the cheap shot.

Cloud glared at him. "Asshole. Anyway, I realized that there's nothing really keeping her here. Just like how she just up and went on that retreat, she could just up and go to Denmark or something."

"I'm pretty sure that she won't go to Denmark." Squall offered. "They have such shitty music."

"That's not the point! The thing is, what's keeping her here? I mean, she works in a flower shop! It's not like she even has family members here." Cloud shook his head. "You know, I just wonder how long is she going to keep doing this?"

"She has you, doesn't she? You're keeping her here, if her job isn't. You two have been going out for how long? Almost three years, right?" Squall reflected.

"Then what kind of man would I be, if I didn't step up to the plate and take our relationship to the next level?! I love that woman, Squall! If she ever left me, I just might curl up and die… or something. But I sure as hell don't want to find out! I want to keep her here with me, and if I have to slap a shiny ring on that finger and sign away my freedom, then goddammit, that's a small price to pay!" Cloud declared. "I mean, I know we still have to work out things like living arrangements, insurance, and all the other shit... Don't look at me like that! I've thought this through, okay? We don't even have to get married for another few years. I just want _something _on the table _right now_, so that she knows she has something concrete worth sticking around for."

Squall blinked. _Cloud, you are a man possessed. Clearly. _"I suppose that sounds somewhat sensible. For a little while I was afraid that you were going to haul her ass off to Vegas and elope. Still, have you actually talked to Aerith about this?"

"Not yet." Cloud admitted. "I wanted to get your opinion first."

Squall clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Well, I'm flattered that you trust me so much with your future. But in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the best one to ask for relationship advice." _Not only am I breaking several laws with what I'm doing right now, but Sora and I haven't really even talked about our 'relationship.' _"You are light years ahead of me in the relationship department, Strife."

Cloud snorted. "You think I don't already know that? Believe me, I seriously weighed my options before deciding to confide in _you_-"

"Thanks a lot. Your vote of confidence means so much to me." Squall snapped.

"But," Cloud continued. "You are my best friend, and somewhat intelligent when it comes to everything else besides relationships, so I trust your judgment. So, what do you think?"

Squall considered for a few moments. "I think that Aerith is as close to a perfect woman as can be found in this town, and that you are entirely undeserving of her devotion. But for some reason she does seem to love you, so you can't go too wrong by wanting to clap a chain on her before she gets away." He couldn't help but smirk at the light that came into Cloud's eyes. "Still, you should really ask her how she feels before you prance off to Jared's and toss out three months of pay on a ring that she might not even want just yet. And if you think that I am going to loan you a damn thing, you are out of your mind."

Cloud stood up, looking relieved. "Good, good. I feel so much better now." He grinned. "See, I knew you had to be good for something other than buying lots of delicious food for me to eat."

Squall rolled his eyes. _Another grocery trip down the drain. _"Go fuck yourself, you mooch."

Cloud was unfazed. "Speaking of which, where's your little meat puppet? Lately I've actually been pretty scared to come by unannounced." He shuddered. "I don't want to catch the two of you in some sort of gay sex marathon."

Squall groaned. _I wish. _He leaned back into the couch and gazed up at the ceiling. "I haven't seen him since the first time. Well, that's not entirely true... I do see him fairly often, it's just that we haven't had another opportunity to get intimate again. It's driving me out of my goddamn mind."

"It can't be that serious." Cloud scoffed. "And you call me whipped. You know what I think?"

"No, but I can't wait to find out." Squall drawled sarcastically, waving a hand.

"I think that you're even more whipped than I am." Cloud announced. "You've only been seeing this guy for a few weeks or so behind his boyfriend's back, and you're all strung out like a pair of Mardi Gras beads. You're so whipped right now, I could spread you on a sandwich."

"Then why don't you do that, and eat me." Squall suggested amicably, raising an eyebrow.

Cloud grimaced. "No thanks, I'm full. Besides, I wouldn't want to make your boy toy jealous."

Squall smirked. "I really don't think that Sora would mind. Especially if we can get a threesome going." He grinned. "Actually, he did tell me that he found you rather attractive. 'Hot,' I think is what he called you when I showed him your picture."

"Ugh!" Cloud blanched. "Don't go around showing my picture to your little butt buddies. I have a wonderful woman in my life, and I don't need any stalkers." He snickered. "I still think Sora is quite possibly the gayest name I've ever heard."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Squall remarked, stretching. "I never had the heart to break it to you, but I've always thought that Cloud was definitely the gayest name of all time. Just so you know."

"Fuck you." Cloud shot back.

"Please?" Squall asked hopefully. He fixed his friend with his gaze, knowing how much it unnerved the younger male. "Pretty please? With sugar, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top?" He moved as if to stand up.

Cloud flinched and backed up several feet. "The fuck is wrong with you, Leonhart?! Go rub one off, you fucking lecher." _I feel so violated._

Squall sighed and relaxed back into the cushions. "I've already been doing that. A lot. It's just enough to keep the edge off, but it can't compare to the real thing." _I wonder if Sora is feeling even half as keyed up as I am these days._

"I actually feel kind of bad for the guy." Cloud admitted. "When you two finally do get it on again, he's not going to be able to walk a straight line for a week."

"For a month." Squall corrected without hesitation.

Cloud shook his head. "That's just not right, man. You're a sick individual." He pulled his cellular phone out of his back pocket. "What's this guy's number? I need to call him and warn him to stay far away from your deviant ass." He flipped the phone open, the screen glowing expectantly.

Squall smirked again. "Sure. I'll let you call him, but then you have to wait around until he gets here."

Cloud flipped the phone shut. "You know what, I think I'm just going to get the hell out of here, before you start touching on me and shit." He tucked the phone back into his pocket. "I got the advice I came here for. I don't need all this sexual harassment. Just try to keep your hands to yourself long enough for me to get to the door."

"What about my eyes?" Squall taunted. _I should probably quit before I give him some kind of complex._

"I can practically feel them burning a hole in my jeans." Cloud griped, heading to the door. "I'll see you later, Lecherous Leonhart."

Squall waved as Cloud left, closing the door behind himself. He laid down on the couch and reflected on the family card that he had tucked safely away in his nightstand drawer. _I could call him, but then he is grounded. I don't want to get him into more trouble. Besides, I'm sure that if he really wanted to, he could find a way to call me. I did give him my number, after all. _He shot a wistful glance at his bedroom, the concept of phone sex dancing in his thoughts. _I just hope that I don't do anything crazy like jump on him at lunch tomorrow. That probably wouldn't go over too well._

· ·§· ·

_There she is, _Sora thought, feeling relieved and apprehensive all at once. _I almost didn't recognize her in that huge sweatshirt. I just hope that she'll talk to me, but what can I say to her? She doesn't even really know me. I mean, she knows me, but well enough to confide in?_

Sora had been vaguely acquainted with Selphie since ninth grade, although they never really interacted with the exception of a few tutoring sessions scattered intermittently throughout the year. She was always nice enough to him, but not in a way that invited further socialization. Selphie came from a different world, where all the kids had both parents, wore expensive designer clothes, and went to summer homes in another part of the country. He had no illusions about being a part of that world, and was quite content to wear what his mother bought for him, while spending his summer catching bugs and frogs with Riku.

Last night, he had made his promise to Kairi in somewhat of a fervor, so distressed at seeing her upset. Thanks to Squall, he no longer felt guilty about what had happened to Jake, yet Sora could not shake his sense of wanting to set right some of the wrongs that had occurred.

_This definitely qualifies as a wrong, _he mused, watching.

Selphie stood in front of her locker, looking disorientated. She spun the dial repeatedly, stopping on numbers, and mumbling absently to herself. After a few moments she slapped her locker hard and walked off, seemingly oblivious to the strange looks she was getting. A few students booed at her half-heartedly, to no effect.

Sora peered after her, trying not to let on that he was planning to follow her. _I hate to miss out on lunch with Squall, but this is the only time I have to get near her. It's not like we have any classes together._ He watched as she pushed open a side door and went out into the courtyard. _Okay, so she's going to be outside. _He turned to his boyfriend.

Riku was beside him, opening his own locker. He hadn't spoken to Sora outside of asking for a sheet of paper in English class. Walking to school he'd sensed something was wrong, and merely resigned himself to silence instead of questioning Sora's recurring coolness towards him. _If I had known Jake was going to set off this huge avalanche of cascading shit, I would've killed him myself. Or at least never slept with him. This shit just keeps piling up, and I don't even know what the hell has his panties in a knot now, but I'm so sick of it…_

After a few minutes of watching Riku manhandle his book bag, Sora turned away. _Bringing up Selphie right now would probably start a fight judging by the way he's looking right now, so I think I'll just make a quiet retreat._

"Sora-baby!" Tidus strolled over, twirling his wallet chain on one finger. "We've been missing you in the cafeteria. Are you going to finally join us for the entire lunch today, or are you going to run off to your hiding spot again?"

Sora cast a glance at Riku, who was unceremoniously tossing his mauled backpack into the locker. _He hasn't said a word about my not being at lunch. Is he still feeling too guilty to say anything, or did he just put Tidus up to speaking for him? _"Sorry Tidus, but I'm not even stopping in. I've got something really important that I have to do today."

Tidus gagged and fanned the air. "I think I smell bullshit!"

"That would be your breath." Riku muttered, closing his locker. He turned to Sora. "See you later."

Sora watched him walk away, his brow furrowed. _That was rude, even for Riku. I guess he must think that I'm just avoiding him. I wish it were that simple._

"Damn!" exclaimed Tidus. "That was cold-blooded. I wonder what's up his ass? Then again, I'd rather not know. It's Riku we're dealing with after all. Could be just a bug, or it could be a Hello Kitty vibrator." He nodded sagely. "Best not to dwell on such things."

"You seem to have given it some thought." Sora teased, smiling in spite of himself.

Tidus laughed. "Yeah right! Whatever Sora, I'll see you later. I think I'll go freshen my breath with a mint and then breathe right in his face. Might cheer him up." He gave a salute and took off in the direction that Riku had gone. "Riku-baby! Wait up!"

Sora looked around. The hallway had thinned out drastically. Only three stragglers remained, milling around aimlessly. He walked over to the courtyard door, hoping that he would still have time to at least peek in on Squall before going to his next class. _I guess that's a little selfish of me, though. _He was instantly struck by the cold air, and wished that he had brought his coat. _Why would she want to come out here for lunch? It's freezing! _He pushed the door open and stepped out onto the gray pavement.

The courtyard stood desolate in the late fall afternoon. All of the flowers had long since dried and fell, while the three trees stood bare, their tan leaves scattered on the ground. The small pond in the corner was glazed over with ice, blades of frosted grass sticking up half-heartedly from the murk. Sora found himself wondering for the umpteenth time whether they took the fish out in the winter, or left them to their fates. The stone benches looked even colder than the ice somehow, and he inwardly prayed that she wouldn't want to sit down and talk. A slight rustle of movement caught his eye and he noticed a glimpse of black from behind one of the trees.

Sora made his way over, desperately wishing that he had thought of something inspiring to say before coming out here.

Selphie leaned against the brown brick wall, her normally pristine curls unkempt and blowing in the wind. Her face was pallid above her black sweatshirt, her half-closed eyes dull and emotionless. Gone was the confident cheerleader who was destined for great things. In her place was a shell, a hollowed out copy of a homecoming queen to be.

Sora felt a sharp pang of guilt. _At least I already knew about Jake. Selphie didn't find out until it was too late._ Hesitantly, he took a step toward her. "Hey Selphie." he offered.

Selphie looked up, startled. "Hey yourself." A lit cigarette dangled loosely from the corner of her lips.

Taken aback, Sora uttered the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't know you smoked."

Selphie let out a single mirthless laugh. "Heh, neither did I. My cousin gave me a pack when she came to see me after Jake's funeral. Told me it would take my mind off the pain." She took a drag and lightly pulled the cigarette from her lips to blow out the smoke. "She was right. I feel like I've been doing it for years."

"You shouldn't smoke in here, though." Sora chided gently. "If you get caught, you'll probably get suspended." _Possibly even expelled._

"Do I look like I care?" Selphie asked, eyes wide in mock-fear. She took a longer drag and let it out slowly, rolling her eyes. "Fuck this school and everyone in it. If I never see this place again, I'll count my blessings and thank my fucking lucky stars."

Sora gazed at her with concern. _I feel like I'm talking to a complete stranger who's wearing her like some kind of human suit. _Any thoughts of trying to construct a five-minute pep talk fled his mind. _She really needs somebody right now. _"Selphie, are you okay?"

"No." Selphie replied flatly. "You?"

"Not really." Sora admitted. He averted his eyes, unsure of why he had thought that he could reach her. _I don't know what to say… I could apologize, but that might make it worse._

Selphie broke the silence. "Well, what's up? You came all the way out here just to say howdy-fucking-do?"

"I guess." Sora murmured. "I'm just really sorry that everything happened the way that it did."

Selphie snorted. "It's not your fault, so just get over yourself. I mean, Jake was supposedly in love with Riku." She shook her head. "That's some sick shit." She took another drag on her cigarette. "Who knew there were so many of you fags in the world."

Sora winced. _Ouch. That was uncalled for. _"Selphie…"

Selphie waved him away. "Just when you think you know someone, something crazy happens and then you realize, that you never knew them at all." She took another drag and closed her eyes, teardrops forming at the ends of her lashes. "It can make a girl kind of jaded, you know." She sobbed, and put a hand to her face.

_Oh no, I didn't think she was going to start crying! _Sora stepped forward and took her in his arms. "It's going to be okay…"

Selphie instantly dropped the cigarette and hugged him to her. "I'm so sorry, Sora." she cried. "I didn't mean to lash out at you! I know it's not your fault! You've always been nice to me… I just feel so helpless, you know? Like, he was my boyfriend! I knew him for years. How could I not have known how he felt until it was too late?"

"Jake didn't want to hurt you." Sora insisted. "That's why he didn't tell you."

"Bullshit." Selphie muttered. "Jake never gave a damn about me. I thought he did, but I guess I was just a status symbol, another accessory for him. And I still sacrificed my reputation to protect his name in the end. I figured I owed him that much, at least." She sighed heavily. "They cut me from the squad, you know. Four years in all, two years as captain, and Miss Harris couldn't even look me in the eye when she told me. What a bitch." She scowled. "I hope they all get yeast infections for the rest of their lives, the bitches."

"What are you going to do now?" Sora asked, softly stroking Selphie's hair. _She stopped crying, thankfully._

Selphie shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. Mom and dad told me that if I stick it out until graduation, I can spend a whole year abroad before I start college. I'm thinking about Paris or Rome. London could be nice too. Maybe I'll never come back." She gently pulled away from Sora, and looked up, meeting his eyes. "Can I tell you something? More than Jake, you were the reason I decided to go through with Riku's plan."

Sora blinked. _Okay… That was definitely the last thing I was expecting to hear. _"What? Why? How could you decide to do something like that because of me?"

"I saw your face." Selphie explained quietly. "In the lunchroom, that Monday after the party. You looked like you were getting ready to throw up, pass out, or both. I knew that Riku was right, and everyone would eventually draw their own conclusions if we didn't give them something to believe." She laughed weakly. "I really didn't care until I saw you looking like that. Even though we were never close friends or anything, you've always been nice to me. Kairi always talks about you and how sweet you are." She squeezed his shoulder. "I remember how gentle you tried to be when you told me that Jake had…" She looked away.

Sora gave her a moment to compose herself, patting her softly on the back. "You don't have to talk about it anymore. I'm just amazed that you wanted to do that because of me."

Selphie returned her eyes to his. "It wasn't a hard decision to make. I felt that it was just the right thing to do. That's all. I've taken some shit for it, but the fact that you came out here to talk to me today just convinced me even more that I made the right choice." She sighed. "My friends were all losers, anyway. I think we all secretly hated each other. It's the games we play, you know. We build each other up, just so we can tear ourselves down and laugh. Your cousin made me realize that. She's really smart, you know."

"I think it's genetic." Sora teased.

Selphie smiled. "I believe it. I remember how you used to tutor me. I'd probably still be a freshman instead of a senior right now, if it wasn't for you."

"Oh come on, you weren't that bad." Sora lied.

"Get real, Sora." Selphie laughed. "I was the dictionary definition of a spoiled little rich girl. The only thing I had to learn how to read was a fashion label, and the only thing I had to learn to write was a check. My parents didn't really care about grades, as long as I was popular and pretty." She sighed. "I guess I sure let them down, huh? I am sitting pretty next to Riku at the top of the school's most hated list, but I don't think that's what they had in mind."

Sora patted her back again. "I don't think you let them down at all. And I still think you're very pretty, even with your hair all messy and blowing in the wind."

Selphie smiled, and in her face there was something of the girl she used to be before the tragedy. "Thanks! I guess I'm still a little bit vain, because you saying that just made my whole day." She shook her head. "You're a really nice guy, Sora. But you shouldn't be with Riku. You're too good for him and you deserve better than that. Raise your standards, okay?"

_I'm not sure what to say to that. _Sora sighed. "You aren't the first person to say that to me. Kairi said the exact same thing... Speaking of Kairi, you should really talk to her. She's worried sick about you."

It was Selphie's turn to sigh. "Yeah, I know. I haven't been a great friend lately, but I guess I'll call her tonight or something. I just didn't want to drag her down into hell with me, you know?" She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'd better get back inside and grab something to snack on before lunch is over. I'll see you around."

Sora nodded. "Take care of yourself, Selphie."

"You too," Selphie replied softly. She padded quietly to the door and left.

Sora sighed and ran his hands through his hair. _I don't know if I feel better or worse now that I know the real reason Selphie lied to the school. But if she feels it was the right thing to do, I'll just have to accept it._ He went back indoors, glad to be out of the cold. _I wonder if I still have time to see Squall. _He glanced at the clock, and was relieved to see that there were still twenty minutes left in the lunch period. _Yes! _He sprinted down the hall to his English classroom, feeling unashamedly giddy.

Squall looked up from his desk as Sora slid into the room. "I thought that said you weren't going to stop in today." _But I'm glad that you did._

Sora closed the door and walked over to Squall's desk. "I didn't know if I would have the time." He plopped down on the edge of the desk and sighed. "I promised my cousin that I would try to talk to Selphie. You know, Jake's girlfriend."

"Ah. How'd it go?" Squall asked, closing his ledger and sitting up.

"Well…" Sora considered. "It went a whole lot better than I was expecting. She cried a little, but she looked like she was happier once she got it all out, and she said she felt a lot better. But… I'm getting kind of tired of people always apologizing to me, Squall."

Squall nodded sagely. "I'm sorry, Sora."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up." He stood, trying to resist the urge to pace. "I mean, it's getting so nerve-wracking. Selphie even told me today that she ruined her reputation for me and not Jake, because she thought I was such a nice guy."

"I'm not that surprised." Squall replied. "You're an incredibly kind person. That was one of the first things I noticed about you."

"Really?" Sora asked, interested. "What were the other things?"

Squall smirked. "Let's see… Your intelligence, your maturity, your body, your eyes… And then the way that you looked at me."

"Was I really that obvious?" Sora groaned. _Geez… How long did he know?_

"You looked at me like a starving man would look at a steak dinner." Squall answered. "It was obvious to the point of being frightening. I even kicked you out of my apartment because of it, remember? Of course, I was looking right back at you the exact same way. I'm probably doing it right now, despite my best efforts."

Sora walked over beside Squall. "I've never seen a starving man looking at a steak dinner, so I can't say for sure." he teased.

Squall leaned back in his chair. "Use your imagination." He watched with mild horror as Sora sat down in his lap. _That was not exactly an invitation, but I'll take what I can get._

"I am. And all of this talk about steak is making me hungry." Sora frowned. "I did miss lunch today, you know. And now I'm in here with you, and you don't have any food for me, do you?"

"Well, I was going to save you some, but you told me earlier that you weren't coming, so I didn't save you anything. I'm so sorry." Squall taunted.

Sora made as if to get up, and was inwardly thrilled when Squall wouldn't let him. "Well, no one would ever mistake you for being a very kind person, that's for sure." He stuck out his tongue.

Squall snickered. "Maybe some of your kindness will rub off on me. And you know, I think I have the perfect solution to your hunger problem."

"What is it?" Sora asked. His lover's voice had gotten dangerously low and even though he knew that meant trouble, he secretly wanted the attention. _I don't think we can get in that much trouble in fifteen minutes…_

Squall wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and lowered his face. "I think you… should come over… for dinner tonight." He murmured between kisses.

"Mmm…" Sora purred, leaning his head back so that Squall could kiss his throat. "That depends. What are you having?"

"You." Squall answered without hesitation. He trailed a finger down Sora's spine.

Sora shivered. "And for dessert?"

Squall moved his hands beneath Sora's shirt, caressing the smooth expanse of skin. "The same." _Good lord, I've missed this…_

"Oh, I don't know if that's worth sneaking out of punishment for. You haven't mentioned any actual food yet." Sora teased, trying to sound nonchalant despite the inferno building inside of him.

Squall's eyes flashed. "Sora, I will do things to your body that will make it forget all about its need for food. Food will become as meaningless as lips on a bird."

Sora snickered. "Ha, I think that a bird with lips might look pretty interesting."

"The only lips of any interest to me are yours." Squall confessed, leaning down to kiss him again.

_**A lot**. We can get into **a lot **of trouble in fifteen minutes. _Sora lapped at Squall's tongue, squirming in his lap as his instincts challenged his reason for the rights to his body. When they finally broke the kiss, he was panting. He felt Squall's hand come to rest on his inner thigh and tensed. _Oh God…_

"So Sora," whispered Squall. "Did you lose my phone number?" His hand crept closer to it's destination. "Have you somehow misplaced it somewhere?" _I really am going to get myself fired one of these days, but right now it would be so worth it._

"N-no." Sora admitted. "I s-still have it." He shuddered as Squall's hand stroked him playfully through his jeans.

"Do you?" Squall gently kissed the side of Sora's neck. "Then why haven't you called me yet? Hmm?" His hand settled into a steady rhythm over Sora's wakening arousal.

Sora arched back against him. "I-I t-told you! I'm grounded! I st-still have two weeks left…" His words trailed off into a low moan. _Oh no…_

"I'm sure you wouldn't let that stop you, if you really, really wanted to." Squall licked Sora's earlobe, relishing the sounds that he made. "Come on, Sora. Don't you really, really want to?"

Sora mewled as the hand picked up tempo. "Oh God, Squall… What are you trying to do to me!?"

Squall tugged at Sora's earlobe with his teeth lightly before answering. "Well, I thought you would like to know, that I have been beating off furiously for the last two weeks." He increased the pressure and grinned when Sora clutched onto his desk for support, his legs shaking. "But don't worry. I don't consider it a waste of time. In fact, it was good practice. I figure it's about time I put all that practice to use on someone else."

"I-I s-see." Sora moaned, his eyes half-closed. _He is trouble…_He involuntarily opened his legs wider, struggling to retain his balance.

Squall seized the opportunity to slide his hand down the front of Sora's jeans. "Thank you, that makes this a little easier." _He's practically burning up…_

Sora yelped, arching. "There's n-no t-time!"

"Don't worry." Squall whispered, returning his lips to Sora's neck. "I'm watching the clock. You've got a good nine minutes before the bell rings. Just go with it." He wrapped his fingers around the shaft, sliding them back and forth, changing tempo.

Sora squirmed uncontrollably, moaning incoherently.

Squall shuddered. _Okay, that's not cool… _"Sora, sweetheart, I know that you are not in complete control of your body right now, but I'm going to have to ask you to try not to grind on my lap like that." He changed tempo again, smirking at the way Sora's breathing changed. "If you insist on grinding on me, I will not be held responsible for my actions. Just so you know."

Sora groaned in response, his mind clouded in a haze of bliss. It seemed like ages since his night with Squall, and now, to be touched like this was driving him mad. Every nerve in his body was ablaze, his sensitivity beyond any natural threshold. The feel of Squall's own clothed erection against his lower back only served to fan the flames. _The only thing better than this, is when he's inside me. And we can't do that here… But if he keeps touching me like this, we just may have to._ He felt himself nearing the edge and bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out.

"I've spent so much time doing this to myself in these past two weeks, I think I've actually gotten a lot better at it." Squall murmured into Sora's ear. "What do you think?" He stroked him again, harder.

Sora yelped and collapsed forward onto the desk. _Oh man… _He bit down hard onto his forearm to muffle his cries as the pleasure coursed through him. _He did get better… I can't stop shaking…_He felt his legs give out in the midst of his spasms and was helpless to do anything about it.

Squall held onto Sora from behind to keep him from sliding onto the floor. "I'll take that as a confirmation that my practice has paid off."

Sora moaned into his arm, still trembling. Dimly he wished that he had a change of clothes. _I'm a mess._

Squall gently lifted Sora up, steadying him on his feet. "That has to be a new record for you."

"You owe me a new pair of jeans." Sora panted, his knees week.

"I think I can manage that on my salary." Squall agreed. "What size do you wear? Your waist is so small." He traced his fingers along Sora's hipbones.

Sora's legs gave out again with a shudder, and Squall had to catch him before he slid to the ground. "Look what you did to me." Sora groaned. "I'm ruined." He leaned onto the desk, gradually finding his feet.

"You're ruined?" Squall collapsed back into his chair. "Look at me! I'm so damn turned on, I'm probably going to fall off my motorcycle halfway to my apartment. Plus I have to make it through the rest of the day, with nothing to aid me." He looked at his fingers. "Well, not nothing, I suppose." He lapped at the hand that he had used to pleasure Sora, traces of his fluid still on the skin.

Sora watched, shuddering. "I so wish I wasn't on punishment right now."

"That makes two of us." Squall replied, swirling his tongue around his ring finger. His gray eyes flickered at the clock. "You'd better run off to the bathroom and clean yourself up for your next class. You've got about two minutes before the bell rings." He started on the middle finger.

Sora was loathe to pull himself away from such a glorious vision, but he knew that Squall was right. Gingerly he pushed away from the desk, getting his balance. "What about you? Don't you want to go to the bathroom or something?"

Squall shook his head. "Not a chance. I am not getting out of this chair until this wood goes down. That's the last thing I need is to run into one of these lonely female teachers in this place while I'm at full mast. I'd have to fight my way out of the faculty lounge."

"I guess you're right." Sora acknowledged. He continued to stare helplessly at Squall, utterly mesmerized. Through no will of his own he found himself standing directly in front of his teacher.

Squall looked up. _He's going to be late, if he doesn't hurry up. _"Yes? Did you want something else?"

Without thinking, Sora leaned forward and wrapped his lips around Squall's index finger. He sucked it all the way into his mouth, swirling his tongue leisurely around its form, tasting himself on Squall's skin. Slowly he pulled back, lightly dragging his teeth, and flicking his tongue at the tip before letting go of the hand.

Squall stared, his body as still as a statue. _What the fuck…_

Sora realized what he had just done and blushed furiously. _I don't know what made me want to do that! _"Oh no, Squall! I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me!"

Squall calmly stood up. "You know what, Sora? I think I will take my chances in the faculty lounge. Because thanks to that little stunt of yours, if I wait for this thing to go down on its own, I'll still be sitting here well into next week." He patted Sora on the shoulder, his hand shaking slightly. _Did I tell Cloud that Sora wasn't going to be able to walk a straight line for a mere month after I was through with him? I may need to change that, because if things keep up like this, that boy is going to be making a zigzag line all over the stage at graduation. _He walked to the door, and opened it. "In the meantime, could you do me a favor, Sora?"

"Anything." Sora answered, his eyes still darkened from Squall's attentions.

_Oh my fucking goodness gracious, would you look at the gaze that he's giving me right now… _Squall called upon the last of his strength to tear his eyes away. "Go in my desk, and put a post-it note on the door saying that I went to the library to get some things and that I'll be back in ten, no, five minutes. Please?"

"Sure, I can do that." Sora replied, still watching Squall.

_Is he still looking at me? _Squall glanced back. Sora's look didn't have any less of an effect than it did the first time he'd seen it earlier in the year. In fact it only seemed to have grown in its intensity. Squall felt a surge of heat in his loins. He dropped his eyes with great effort. _That's it, I'm getting the fuck out of here. Now. _"Close the door when you leave okay, Sora?" _Good God._

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**Notes:** First off, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you had a merry time off from school/work. Vacation is a beautiful thing. I also hope that this chapter does not get me kicked off fan fiction. Because that would make me very sad.

Riku: It would make me glad! I was hardly in this chapter! What about my wants? Huh? My needs? I need to branch out more, I need more growth!

-You keep eating those Christmas leftovers like that, and you'll get plenty of growth. Just you wait and see.

Riku: I don't know what you're talking about! (runs off with an entire cheesecake)

-Now, I am going to finally answer some of the questions I've been getting!

_1. So how large is the age difference between Squall and Sora? In the beginning, I was a solid Riku x Sora fan and now I'm rooting for Squall x Sora... Have you chosen a definite pairing for the end yet?_

-In this story, squall is 27 and Sora is 16. So it's 11 years.

Riku: Squall, you're such a pervert!

Squall: That's not what your mama was saying last night.

Riku: You son of a b-

-Moving right along! I have chosen a pairing for the end, but wild horses couldn't drag it out of me. Unless they were running, or something like that. But if they're just standing there, grazing, then forget it. My lips are totally sealed.

_2. Sora's a player?_

-I wouldn't say he's a player, just someone who wants to keep all his options open. He has a hard time saying no.

_3. The non-con is Sephiroth x Riku, isn't it?_

-…That would be so damn hot… (ponders, drooling)

Riku: . Please don't!

_4. Though, considering how many reviews you've gotten for this already... I wonder, do you read the new ones anymore?_

-Yep. Believe it or not, I read every review I get. Even the ones who scream at me in all caps to update. . It's a privilege, not a pain, to get so many reviews. I always read them all, because if someone took the time to write it, I definitely want to take the time to read it.

_5. will there be any really major deaths later on if you continue? Like Cloud? Leon? Sora? Or... Riku?!?!?!?! _

Riku: Why do I get all the exclamation and question marks beside my name, huh?!? You got something against me? You don't wanna see me fly! You just wanna see me die! Can't nobody break my stride! Can't nobody hold me down! Oh no, I got to keep on moving…

-(puts Riku out in the cold) I am sorry about that. He got an Ipod Nano for Christmas, and now he's been spouting song lyrics all over the place.

Riku: Check one, two! Check it out! Chikky-chikky-chikky-

-(slams the door) Jeez. There will probably be another death later in the story, but I cannot say who it will be. That would be like J.K. Rowling finally coming clean about whether Snape was really working for Dumbledore or Voldemort.

Squall: Oh, you read that too?! Because I have some theories I'd like to share-

-Next question, please!

_6. Ne, didn't you say that you'd finish this, though? Can I try and hold you to your promise? _

-Of course! I always keep my word. Just ask about the time I foolishly wasted a weekend of my life back in 2003, gophering 40 hours at Otakon because I agreed to do it since my friend didn't want to do it alone. I wanted to quit, but I did it anyway, and was miserable. Now, if I can stick it out and do some shit that I hate, I know I can do this, because I actually love this! It's just taking a little more time than I had initially hoped, but I think that it will all be worth it in the end. She ended up quitting so she could have more time to enjoy the con, by the way, and I was the one left alone. Ain't that some shit…

_7. Also, why did you name Sora's mother Sonja?_

-I really like that name, but I've never met anyone with it. So, I decided to name his mother Sonja.

_8. Are Squall and Sora going to get together, legally and happily, at any point in this story, and how long is it going to last before you torture them?_

-I am so sorry, but all I can do is giggle quietly to myself on that one.

Squall: O.o

-Oh shut up, Squall. Torture builds character.

_9. So, the new Kingdom Hearts game is out now. Is it inspiring you?_

-I still play the hell out of that game! And what the hell is up with Seifer's outfit?! He looks like a confused snow boarding drug dealer!

Squall: Funny, the Seifer I knew didn't dress much better.

-And who else wanted Mansex, oops, I mean Xemnas to take off that coat and get all shirtless with leather pants like Ansem did in the first game? I know, I for one wanted to see some of that body…

Squall: . Moving right along!

_10. Are you dead?_

-Not that I know of. Unless, I'm really a ghostwriter. Literally. Dude, that would suck.

Riku: (comes in through the window) What sucks?

Squall: Your mother, my junk, last night.

Riku: Motherfucker! (tackles Squall)

-Oh what a world. (watches as the two bishonen struggle, then fall backwards out the window, howling as they get entangled in Christmas lights)

Riku: Ow! They're hot! Hot hot hot! (shrieks) They're popping! They're made of glass! Ouch! Help!

Squall: (hanging upside down) I am now mortified beyond belief.

-My first New Year's Resolution: find a strong-willed babysitter for these two before they raze my house to the ground. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!


End file.
